2003 Guildford Surrey 5 April One Day Meeting
On 5th April 17 members met the leader Roy Sherlock at Ranmore NT car park. The weather was pleasantly warm and sunny, as it remained throughout the day. There were clear views to Leith Hill Tower, near the second site, and the sandstone escarpment, as the party went along Ranmore hillside. Viola hirta (hairy violet) and Luzula campestris (field woodrush) were noted, the latter being seen in quantity at several later sites, the recent appearance of this and other flowers helped by the mild weather and the rain at the start of the previous week. Coming back through the woodland the party came to a colony of Helleborus viridis (green hellebore), the differences between this plant and H. foetidus, seen later, being noted. Very few Hyacinthoides non-scripta (bluebell) were in flower, much later than usual, but there were some Cardamine pratensis (cuckooflower). Ranunculus auricomus (goldilocks buttercup) and. Anemone nemorosa (wood anemone) in quantity passed during our return.
The party then went in convoy via Abinger Common to Leith Hill Place where the colony of Petasites albus (white butterbur) was admired, with one specimen of Polystichum setiferum (soft shield-fern).
The next stop was at Shere for Petasites hybridus (butterbur), and on, via Chilworth to Chinhurst car park. A short walk led to Symphytum bulbosum (bulbous comfrey) in full flower. Here the Publicity Secretary distributed copies of a provisional Symphytum key with a sketch showing flower details. Further along the woodland, beside the stream, there was a large colony of Lysichiton americanus (American skunk-cabbage) and some Trachystemon orientalis (Abraham-Isaac-Jacob). At the end of the woodland the pale grey bark of a small group of Populus x canescens (grey poplar) showed up well in the sun.
After lunch the next stop was at Shalford, first to the cemetery where, after looking at Asplenium ruta-muraria (wall-rue) and Ceterach officinarum (rustyback), a happy hour was spent in the botanists stance with noses to the ground examining plants such as Erodium cicutarium (common stork's-bill), Erophila verna (common whitlowgrass), Montia fontana (blinks), Myosotis ramosissima (early forget-me-not) and Stellaria pallida (lesser chickweed). Outside Viola odorata (sweet violet) had almost finished flowering but an adjacent large patch of Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle) was covered in flowers unlike most seen elsewhere.
Proceeding to Bramley and along the old railway, Viola odorata var. dumetorum was seen immediately, then many leaves of Geranium x monacense (G phaeum x G. reflexum), a large plant of Ribes sanguineum (flowering currant) and the colony of Corydalis solida (bird-in-a-bush).
The party then went on to Compton, stopping on the way for Helleborus foetidus(stinking hellebore) and Petasites japonicus (giant butterbur). At Compton a plant of Primula x polyantha caused interest, then a wall with plants including Saxifraga tridactyillites (rue-leaved saxifrage) and lastly two expanses of Allium paradoxum(few-flowered garlic). Then to Watts Mortuary Chapel grounds where Chionodoxa forbesii (glory-of-the-snow) was well naturalised and also outside in an old quarry.
It now being late afternoon the party went happily homeward.
ROY SHERLOCK