Assynt Meeting June 18th to 22nd 2006

Potentilla recta Potentilla erecta(Tormentil)

Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum(Water-cress)

Ligusticum scoticum Ligusticum scoticum (Scots Lovage)

Mimulus guttatus Mimulus guttatus(Monkeyflower)

Cochlearia officinalis Cochlearia officinalis(Common Scurveygrass)

Asplenium marinum Asplenium marinum (Sea Spleenwort)

The Coastal Route

We first drove to our destination in a few cars and then returned to start the journey which was to be six miles or so of rugged coastal terrain with few discernible footpaths.

Quickly we became aware of the beauty of this coast where very few people tread and so there is a genuine unspoiled grandeur about the cliffs, gorges and bays which we came across.

Summer flowers were in bloom as you would expect but on several occasions we found early spring plants like Primula vulgaris (primrose) in full flower as well. Potentilla erecta (Tormentil) was dotted in the short grass and, by the first freshwater stream which we found, Mimulus guttatus (Monkeyflower) and Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (Water-cress) was just coming into flower. There were no seed pods to be seen on the Rorippa at this early stage of flowering so we couldn't determine which sub species this one was.

We found a fine clump of Cochlearia officinalis (Common Scurveygrass) and although ssp scotica could be expected here this particular plant did not appear to fill the criteria so by elimination this was ssp officinalis.

In one rocky gorge there was a few leaves of Ligusticum scoticum (Scots Lovage) and a little later we found a larger plant with the beginnings of some flowers showing.

It was exactly the sort of environment where you would expect to find some Asplenium marinum (Sea spleenwort) and later we did, high up in a rocky cliff crevice.