Eileen and I with Eleven Wildflower members and one prospective met in the car park at Kessingland to record the beach and dune flora. Typically we spent the first hour in the car park where there was much discussion on the identity of nothing less than a Sonchus. Was it asper or oleraceus? The field characters keyed out as asper but then it was decided upon oleraceus but finally we all decided it was a hybrid and I have sent a sample to the BSBI referee. Other plants were Erigeron glaucous (Seaside Daisy) and Solidago Canadensis. (Canadian Golden Rod) and finally Reseda lutea (Wild Mignonette).
Along the lane behind we saw the garden escape Lamium galeobdolon ssp argentatum (Variegated Yellow Dead Nettle) Next stop was a hybrid Elm that I had already keyed out the week before and set the group a test using Stace 3 and the Poland and Clement vegetative keys. Soon leaves were being measured and looked at through the hand lenses. It came to Steve Clarkson who was able to identify it correctly as Ulmus x vegeta (Huntingdon Elm.) It was a large tree with both smooth and rough leaves, sterile and in very good condition throughout. So onto the beach as planned. The amount of Lathyrus japonicas ssp maritima (Sea Pea) in flower was amazing, the shingle was almost covered in carpets of the plants in places. Next up was a swath of Linaria vulgaris (Toadflax.) followed by a dotting of Rosa rugosa. (Japanese Rose) Amongst the Leontodon saxatilis (Lesser Hawkbit.) we found . autumnalis too. By now we had found a text book S. oleraceus, asper and arvensis (Smooth, Rough and Corn Sowthistles.) We found plenty of Raphanus raphinistrum ssp maritimus. (Sea Radish) and Ononis repens (Rest Harrow) Soon we were by the Denes and the cliff face below the caravan park here we found lots of Lycium barbarum (Duke of Argyll’s Tea Plant) and even found some Goji berries which were rather tart and left a bad taste for some minutes. Fruit are uncommon but we found enough to share around. Next stop was a few Mulleins which were investigated fully using Stace 3 and other books. Soon we were picking at the flowers and investigating the reniform anthers keying out the eight plants as the garden escape Verbascum phlomoides (Orange Mullein.) Soon we were checking out Galium verum (Ladies Bedstraw.) We after checking key characters found bothG. verum and G. Verum ssp maritimum. Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit) was found by the former tip along with a single Petunia x hybrida (Petunia) and several plants of Atriplex prostrata (Spear leaved Orache) and A. patula (Common Orache.) Soon we arrived on the northern bank of the River Hundred recording Calamagrostis canescens (Purple Small Reed,) Carex otrubae (False Fox Sedge) and then we found a nice Erodium to key out, I had already identified it before but I wanted to see how the group would do it with Stace 3 or Poland and Clement. Soon books were opened and discussion ensued and after a while they came to the correct identification of Erodium moshatum (Musk Storksbill.) Soon we saw Althea officinalis (Marsh Mallow) Mentha aquatica. (Water Mint) and Stachys palustris (Marsh Woundwort) with its paler flowers. By the sluice gates we found Spergularia rubra. (Sea Spurrey.) Silybum marianum (Milk Thistle) and Malva moschata. (Musk Mallow).
We did find the time to walk through the gate to Benacre Pits and in a small corner of the lake we found a good number of maritime plants. There was Junucus gerardii ( Salt marsh Rush.) Juncus maritimus (Sea Rush) Samolus valerandi (Brookweed) and Plantago maritima (Sea Plantain) We even stopped to study Verbascum Thapsus (Great Mullein) to compare with our former garden escape before walking back towards Kessingland Village.
In the dunes we found more than 30 plants of Jasione Montana (sheeps bit) which is decling here at an alarming rate. Once back in the village we found some pavement crack plants notably Allium neapolitanum (Neapolitan Garlic) Aethusa cynapium ssp cynapium ( Fool’s Parsley) and finally a single Antirrhinum majus. (Snap Dragon)
This brings the list for Kessingland South TM5284 up to 420 species of plant, so a big thank you to those who attended.
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