04-Sept Hidden September Treasures

Canadian fleabane C. canadensis, which is all over London, has been with us much longer, the seeds having supposedly arrived in the early nineteenth century inside a stuffed parrot. Others to look out for in waste areas and also in gardens are the Mexican fleabane Erigeron karvinskianus, Argentine fleabane C. bonariensis, Blue fleabane E. acer and the Bilbao fleabane C. bilbaoana. The latter species can be found at Wisley.

Cudweeds

Their botanical credentials are more interesting than you might expect, being both closely related to Edelweiss and the Everlasting flower Helichrysum we see in gardens. In the past they were referred to as wicked or undutiful plants on account of the way young branches of flowers continually grow over old ones, supposedly like children wanting to be more successful than their parents.

The one species most likely to be encountered in London is the Marsh cudweed Gnaphalium uliginosum which is still common on damp paths. Several other species are either disappearing, extremely rare or presumed gone. As they are so easily missed and choose to grow in such unusual situations such as old cart tracks, modern bicycle tracks or bridal paths, it is well worth examining any that are found. The characters that might indicate a rare species are either much narrower or much broader leaves than is usual and red-tipped bracts or much pinker flowers rather than the normal yellow or brown ones. Banstead downs yet again might be a good place to start looking.

Autumn Crocus

Children used to be sent into fields to pick it prior to allowing any cattle in. When we eat it, we first get a burning sensation in the mouth prior to vomiting and then develop an intense thirst. Symptoms continue with blood in the urine, a drop in body temperature before collapsing and dying. On the plus side, colchicine which is extracted from the plant, much to the excitement of plant breeders has the strange power of doubling the chromosomes in other plants. It is always exciting to encounter autumn crocuses anywhere in the wild and a reasonably wild looking colony can be seen in Tandridge churchyard. A much wider and impressive selection of different coloured garden forms have been collected together at Wisley.

The botanical pilgrimage of the month has to be to Hampton Court to see the autumn squills Scilla autumnalis. It is interesting to speculate how such a rare British native more typical of Cornish cliff tops found its way to form such a sizeable colony near a palace. No matter, its purple-blue flowers with their deep violet anthers are there every year to be admired and enjoyed.