Last Botany Walk

Last night was the last botany walk with Dr Ken Adams. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his input although it’s difficult to follow his academic lines on occasion. As for the study of grasses! Forget it!

I’m assured he’s coming back to do some fungi ID in the Autumn which will be great.

This is some slime-fungus, the exact type of which not even the good Doc could identify.

Calamint

Viper’s bugloss

Water chickweed

Weld (Dyer’s Rocket)

Mellilot

Scentless mayweed

Here’s a few random things I’ve learnt over the last 6 weeks about botany:

• Purple coloured comfrey is Russian. Native comfrey is pale yellow.
• English elm is in fact Atinian elm from Italy. The Romans brought it over to grow vines on.
• Early herbalists thought that every plant bore an outward sign of it’s value to mankind (Doctrine of Signatures)
• Most plants with “wort” in the name implies that there’s a medicinal value.
• Sainfoin was grown as fodder. It means Holy hay.
• Latin is difficult to learn in a day.
• Pink campion is a hybrid of Red and white campion (surprise, surprise)
• Most botanists wear socks and sandals Sorry Ken. Had to get that in!
• Hogweed smells – hence the name hog.
• The pink pigment in most plants is an ultra violet protection mechanism from the sun. (more plants are pink nearer the coast)
• Many plants are now hybrids.

Ladies bedstraw

Hemp nettle

Mignonette

Agrimony

Thanks for the visit.