KNOW YOUR THALE CRESS
Having returned to wildlife recording after a long break, it’s good to familiarise oneself with new species, even if they are ‘as common as muck’.
One such in recent weeks has been Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), frequently seen growing in the small gap between garden walls and the pavement. Locations have included the top of Chapel Green Lane, Coldharbour Road opposite the ‘Cambridge Arms’ and Henleaze Road opposite the end of Fallodon Way.
Once you know what you’re looking at it becomes immediately distinguishable from the superficially similar Shepherd’s Purse, having cylindrical (not heart-shaped) fruits on thin stalks, and near-leafless flowering stems.
This unprepossessing plant is a popular 'model' for studies in plant biology and genetics. Its genome is one of the smallest in plants, and was the first plant genome to be sequenced.
BARREN STRAWBERRY
Another addition to my all-time list is Potentilla sterilis, spotted a couple of weeks ago in flower in short turf and between paving slabs at the corner of Brean Down Avenue in Henleaze. The Flora of the Bristol Region map shows the greatest density of records as being from the south and west of Bristol, with relatively few from within the city boundary.
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1 comment:
Barren Strawberry is one of my fave plants and a real harbinger of spring. Like you, I've never seen it in Bristol proper, the nearest has been in Avon Gorge. Well spotted sir!
Des
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