Pete Stroh

COUNTRY ROUNDUPS

Compiled by Pete Stroh

peter.stroh@bsbi.org

ENGLAND

The edict to plant trees for the stated reason of helping to reduce our carbon footprint has resulted in many examples of planting in unsuitable areas, leading to damage or destruction of botanical sites. This has happened despite the fact that the peat bogs and grassland riddled with recent tree plantings perform exactly the same function (but better!). Mike Porter (joint VCR for v.cc. 69 and 70) has drawn my attention to affected areas in Cumbria, including wet heath and blanket bog with associated acid grassland and, elsewhere, a nice species-rich grassy bank. Although in almost all cases the perpetrators admitted that they were in the wrong, the promised full restoration of sites has, as yet, failed to materialise. However, one consequence of the adverse publicity these activities provoked has been an increase in the number of requests for Mike and his fellow Vice-county Recorders to check out sites where treeplanting is planned. In the long run, this increased concern with planting trees only in suitable areas may well prove to be a significant positive step. It’s worth mentioning briefly that the BSBI has been working with the Woodland Trust and Natural England to develop a targeting tool that can be used to ensure inappropriate planting doesn’t happen on good quality sites in the future, and there will be more on this topic in a future issue of BSBI News.

There were two notable plant finds in Devon in 2020 that I didn’t have room for in the last issue. Mary Briggs discovered Carex disticha (Brown Sedge) in North Devon (v.c. 4) at the same location where it was last seen in 1912, near to South Moulton. Those who live in other parts of England might be surprised to know that this is a very rare species in the south-west, but not, you’ll perhaps be less surprised to learn, as rare as Euphrasia scottica (Scottish Eyebright), which has been found for the first time in Devon by Alex Worsley (conf. Chris Metherell) whilst botanising in a rich valley mire on Exmoor (v.c. 4). In other exciting Devonian news, Roger Smith has been busy working to make ‘A New Flora of Devon’ available online. It can be found at devonassoc.org.uk/index-toa-new-flora-of-devon, complete with an errata page for those with

Carex disticha (Brown Sedge). Pete Stroh the book and a compilation of records published in Devonshire Association Transactions since publication up to the end of 2019. It’s a fantastic resource, especially for those who missed out on purchasing the hardback book which sold out within a few months of publication in 2016. And one more notable find not mentioned in recent Roundups. In June 2020, Marilyn Abdulla examined plants at the margin of a pond at Beeston Common SSSI (v.c. 27) which were thought to be Bolboshoenus maritimus (Sea Club-rush) and queried them as possible B. laticarpus (Inland Club-rush). Local botanist Mike Padfield was contacted and collected samples in early September, and agreed with Marilyn’s identification, using guidance for separating the taxa in Rumsey et al. (2019). Ripe nutlet samples were then sent to Fred Rumsey, who confirmed it as this species. This is the first Norfolk record for B. laticarpus, and I think a very nice example of critical recording and botanical collaboration. Thanks to Mike for letting me know. I’m always keen to hear of any notable finds made by members, using the email address at the top of this Roundup.

In North-east Yorkshire (v.c. 62) Dave Barlow has produced a Rare Plant Register for the county, which can be found here: bsbi. org/north-east-yorkshire. It’s a wonderfully informative work, introducing the reader to the county and some of the more botanically interesting sites, before presenting detailed

Bolboschoenus laticarpus (Inland Club-rush), Beeston Common, East Norfolk (v.c. 27). Mike Padfield

species accounts. It’s certainly a must-read for anyone hoping to visit the area, as well as for those who are fortunate enough to live in the county.

Dave has also been busy helping to highlight the ‘hidden natural heritage’ of urban areas, working with artist Sara Cooper and the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership. He led several botanical surveys of the town in 2020 (abiding by social distancing rules), with the group paying close attention to the plants found in pavement cracks, and on roadside verges, buildings and walls. One of the species recorded was Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale Cress), the properties of which have been found to lead to a quicker recovery time for breast cancer patients, and fewer secondary effects compared with those subjected to chemical treatment (Bömer et al., 2020). Sara used this as inspiration for her finished work, a mural of a repeat pattern of Thale Cress which has just been installed in the underpass gallery at Middlesbrough station.

John Durkin has produced a short Flora of Deepdale Wood (v.c. 66), a beautiful site located on a side valley of the River Tees that joins the Tees at Barnard Castle. It is, as John describes, one of ‘the four Teesdale Great Woods’. Read all about it here: www. durhamnature.co.uk/deepdale. html (scroll down to the image of Campanula latifolium to access the Flora).

David Morris found out last year that the local records centre had in its archive the digitised master cards from the 1998 Flora of Oxfordshire, amounting to almost 300,000 records, and he has been checking these with the intention to transfer to the DDb, which will add very significantly to the historic data holding for v.c. 23. David has also had the 1998 Flora digitised by a professional archiving company, and that will be going on the web soon, and he hopes to do the same for Druce’s 1927 Flora (only the 1886 Flora is online, the later edition still being in copyright). He has also set up a project for volunteers to digitise cards and correspondence received from John Killick when David took over as VCR for the county, which will likely result in several tens of thousands of records, adding yet more detail to the historic picture, perhaps especially for locally rare and extinct plants. Once all this is complete, Oxfordshire should have well over 1 million records digitised. Many thanks to David, and to the volunteers assisting with digitising, for such an incredible effort.

Finally, editions of Ken Adams’ always excellent and informative ‘Essex Botany’ are regularly snapped up at BSBI recorders meetings, and it’s now possible to receive back issues for free (except for p&p) by visiting www. kenadams.org.uk/esb/Essex%20 Botany%20Newsletters.htm. I’ve mentioned this publication before, but it’s worth repeating that the newsletters are a goldmine of information, and worth making space for on your bookshelves.

References

Bömer, M., et al. (2020).

Jasmonates induce Arabidopsis bioactivities selectively inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells through CDC6 and mTOR. New Phytologist 229: 2120–2134. Rumsey, F.J., Crouch, H.J.,

Lansdown, R.V. & Spencer,

M.A. (2019) Pedunculate

Club-rush Bolboschoenus laticarpus (Cyperaceae) – an overlooked native or a spreading neophyte? British &

Irish Botany 1: 91–106.

Pete Stroh