COUNTRY ROUNDUPS: Wales
WALES
David Barden, Joint VCR for This edition has a cut-off date of East Glamorgan (v.c. 41), has 2000 and was intended to match ccording to the summary of published a detailed Flora of a the Atlas data – but 2021 had New Year Plant Hunts (NYPH) relatively compact but remarkably tobeincludedafterndingso throughout Britain and Ireland, diverse area of rhôs pasture. many good things! John has also 132 lists were submitted from The Wild Plants of Llantrisant submitted a long list of altitude Wales,asignicantincreaseon Common and Y Gweira covers records to David Pearman, many past years. Most species recorded thetaxa +0 4 foundduringhis of which beat the previous known were ‘autumn stragglers’ rather nine-year survey of the site, and limit for a species. These are very thanwinterorearlyowerers includes distribution maps and useful for many purposes, not and the majority were native quadrat studies, as well as plenty least the forthcoming Atlas, which species; not surprising as most ofphotos,identicationtips will include information on this records were from rural habitats. andhistoricalcontexttomake subject. it Perhapsthebestndshouldgo appeal to a wide audience (see In Pembrokeshire (v.c. 45), to Sue and Steve Southam in review, p. 76). Stephen Evans has been typically Montgomeryshire (v.c. 47) who In Breconshire (v.c. 42), John busy, and made a visit to the recorded 31 species including a Crellin and the local botany Conwy valley in North Wales to splendid Carduus nutans (Musk group visited their only Sibthorpia see and collect cuttings from the Thistle). europaea (Cornish Moneywort) captive Pembrokeshire Juniperus sitelateinnding ,02 an communis (Juniper) stocks which abundance of the plant all along are kindly maintained, along the stream it grows by, having with material from other Welsh survived the installation of a junipers, by the owners of the nearby hydro scheme. The site nursery. This effort is a revival of wasrstfoundinby 0 2 Steve the previous attempts to bolster Chambers and others, prior to the handful of relict male and the installation of a gas pipeline female bushes on Ramsey Island. across the headwaters, ruling Unfortunately, Covid-19 prevented that activity out as a vector for the usual annual surveys of introduction. Platanthera bifolia (Lesser Buttery-orchid)andMelittis melissophyllum (Bastard Balm) populations in the county that have been undertaken in June Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle), for more than 20 years. However, Montgomeryshire (v.c. 47). grocery shopping proved Sue Southam productive, with some work on M. melissophyllum undertaken en route to the store, as well as The pick of the non-natives in checks on the only Welsh plant owerwas Lagurus ovatus (Hare’sof Sea Pea Lathyrus japonicus on tail), a new vice-county record for the sandy shingle at Ceibwr. Later Cardiganshire (v.c. 46) found by in the summer, when restrictions Andy Jones. Andy mentions that a were lifted (temporarily, as it benecialside-effectoftheNYPH Sibthorpia europaea (Cornish turned out), the 21st annual count was having the time to look more of Shore Dock Rumex rupestris at closelyatafewoweringtaxa, Moneywort), Breconshire (v.c. 42). John Crellin Marloes revealed some surprises. including the hybrid between There had been a massive winter Ulex europaeus (European Gorse) cliff slump at the Hooper’s Point A new edition of the and U. gallii (Western Gorse) (U. endconrmingthattheupper Breconshire County Rare Plant × breoganii), which appears to beachwasdenitelynolonger Register has been completed be far more widespread than suitable for the plant. Moreover, and a few copies printed, thanks previously noticed and may well the surviving population at Watery to the generosity of the Brecon be overlooked for the NYPH in Bay could not be recorded owing Beacons National Park Authority. other south-western counties.
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BSBI NEWS 147 | April 2021
