London’s Last Orchids & Blue Miracles: August’s Floral Jewels"
As summer wanes, two botanical treasures defy the season—the spiral-towered Autumn Lady’s Tresses, unfurling like braided hair, and shuttered gentians that burst into amethyst stars under the sun. On August 2nd, uncover where these elusive survivors cling on (from Riddlesdown’s chalk slopes to Box Hill’s café edges) and why their blooms demand perfect timing—some vanishing if soil is touched, others opening in mere seconds.
Return on August 2nd—before these fleeting wonders twist shut.
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Orchids
We now see a rather sudden end to the orchid season. Species such as common twayblade, narrow-lipped helleborine, pendulous-flowered helleborine and perhaps even pyramid, common and heath spotted, all of which were in flower last month, may well continue on into the early part of August. The group of orchids most associated with the month are the helleborines and the lady’s tresses. Broad-leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine was both widespread and plentiful a century ago. Exceptional populations were recorded in Epping lower forest. Fortunately it still survives in a few favoured beech hangers. High Elms and Ranmore common are also places where it might still be found. Its rarer and more special relation, the Violet helleborine E. purpurata was recorded by Eyre De Crespigny (1821-1895) as abundant in the woods around Merstham and Betchworth at the end of the nineteenth century. More recently it has been recorded at Chapel Bank, Buckland wood and may even still survive near the café on Box Hill.
The only orchid that really belongs to August is also the smallest and last orchid to flower. This is Autumn lady’s tresses Spiranthes spiralis which can flower throughout the month and can still be found at Riddlesdown and possibly Box Hill. It is known to suddenly appear and bloom within a week and so it can easily be missed. Its English name refers to the similarity of the flower spike to plaited or braided hair.
Curiously the richly-scented flowers with various notes are arranged spirally either in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. It may take five years to produce its first flower from seed and any form of soil improvement in this period results in its instant disappearance.
Gentians
Pliny called gentians “the gifts of autumn”. Their name came from Gentius the last king of Illyria who is said to have discovered their medicinal value in between fighting off the Romans.
They are rightly famed for their colour which has been called “the blue of an untroubled heaven”. Sadly, the only vivid blue species, marsh gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe has all but disappeared from the London area. However, many of its close wild European relatives are common enough in our gardens.
Fortunately two other more amethyst coloured species have survived i.e. Autumn gentian Gentianella amarella and the larger more showy Chiltern gentian G. germanica. The latter species is mainly restricted to the Chilterns but can still be found on some chalky slopes along the North Downs. The flowers of both these species are notoriously shy to open fully. Their purple flower buds reminded people of the fingernails of dead men and so the plants used to be called dead man’s mittens.
If encountered with closed petals it is worth waiting for the sun to come out. It can take as little time as twenty seconds for the tips of the petals to turn horizontally and then suddenly there are many small purple stars. When seen in numbers this can provide one of the most attractive sights of the month but not quite as glorious as the marsh gentians which still can be found on Chobham common.
