London Meeting June 30th to 2nd July 2006
Tradescantia fluminensis(Wandering-jew)
Geranium versicolor(Pencilled Crane's-bill)
Duchesnea indica (Yellow-flowered Strawberry)
Campanula portenschlagiana(Adria Bellflower)
Lilium martagon(Martagon Lily)
Cyperus longus (Galingale)
1st July : Mile End Cemetery
After so much sunshine we were both weary and looking forward to a shadier site which is exactly what mile End cemetery is like.
As we first entered the site it was obvious that its nature reserve status was well deserved. If there had been anyone tending the graves now covered in ivy and scrub it must have been decades ago. The straight path with gravestones and monuments in deep shade would have made en excellent set for a B horror movie.
The first plant of note was a Tradescantia fluminensis which enjoys the old fashioned vernacular name of Wandering-jew. In some grassland nearby we found Campanula portenschlagiana (Adria Bellflower) in the last stages of flowering and all along the path inside the cemetery there was plenty of the beautiful Geranium versicolor (Pencilled Crane's-bill).
In a deeply shady part of the cemetery we also found several Lilium martagon (Martagon Lily) and not far from that an excellent clump of Duchesnea indica (Yellow-flowered Strawberry) with both flowers and fruits. The question arose as to whether the fruits are edible. They are apparently but not very tasty.
Towards the end of this trip we found clumps of Cyperus longus (Galingale) around a pond and there was some doubt about whether or not this had been introduced but it looked wild enough so how can you tell?
Our Final plant of this excellent day's botanising was Orobanche hederae (Ivy Broomrape) which was in excellent condition revealing the yellow stigmas which are diagnostic.
By this time we were fairly exhausted and somewhat thirsty and so most decided to make for the station and a train home. Botanising is favourite hobby of mine but not the only one and it hadn't escaped my notice that England were playing a crucial World Cup tie that late afternoon.
I joined fellow botanist Peter Hilton in the search for a pub where we could slake our thirst and watch the match. This was Mile End, pubs would be everywhere wouldn't they?
Wrong! We walked into one nearest to the cemetery but it was so crowded that we decided to look for another. After half and hour and asking some locals we decided that the original pub was the only one anywhere near.
We squeezed in amongst the inebriated crowd and as I approached the bar itself a local turned to me and said "You're very up-close and personal mate" in a fairly threatening tone.
I was much taller and heavier than this short bad-tempered little drunk an so I did the only thing a man could do in such circumstances and made a grovelling apology which he couldn't really hear because of the noise.
So we watched England lose, quenched our thirst and eventually made our way home on the Capital's excellent transport system about which Londoners constantly whinge.