2004 Breckland 19th to 20th June Main Meeting
Eleven members met our leader Stephen Clarkson and Deefa too on a sunny morning at Santon Downham in Thetford Forest. After being given very conscientiously prepared and detailed information about Breckland and lists of the plants and specialities we hoped to see we moved to a long sandy gravelly path to hunt for Scleranthus perennis ssp prostratus, (perennial knawel). After much diligent searching on hands and knees and finding Crassula tillaea (mossy stonecrop), Medicago minima(bur medick) with its distinctive fruits, Trifolium glomeratum (clustered clover), and Ornithopus perpusillus (bird's-foot) all going over because of the lack of rain we could not in all honesty say any of the Scleranthus had the blunt sepals with a pale margin that would have defined S. perennis. However there was plenty of S. annuus ssp. polycarpos (annual knawel). We walked on past shimmering Deschampsia flexuosa (wavy hair-grass) on the heathland to a field by the railway line with many fine plants of Arabis glabra (tower mustard) towering above the grasses. Also growing in the field was the more diminutive Arabis hirsuta (hairy rock-cress) so we were able to compare the black seeds of hirsuta with the orange seeds of glabra. On the edge of woodland we saw some fine examples of the cleistogamous Epipactis phyllanthes(green-flowered helleborine) and the broader leaves of E. helleborine (broad-leaved helleborine).
The morning passed quickly and we hurried back just as the rain started to eat our lunch in the cars. In the afternoon we visited the pocket sized Artemisia nature reserve at Brandon. The weather was fine and sunny again by now and we all admired the large number of beautiful plants of Artemisia campestris (field wormwood) able to grow to their full size now that they are protected from the nibbling of rabbits. Also in the reserve were Cerastium arvense (field mouse-ear) and Sedum rupestre (reflexed stonecrop). Another typical Breckland species, Onopordum acanthium (cotton thistle) was growing nearby.
Moving on again we next visited Cranwich Camp and immediately in the car park saw Petrorhagia prolifera (proliferous pink). We then walked slowly through the lovely field to find Astragalus danicus (purple milk-vetch), striking yellow patches of Sedum acre (biting stonecrop) and many plants of Silene otites (Spanish catchfly) in excellent condition which has male and female flowers on different plants and which we were to see again at other sites.
The next stop was just round the corner at the Cranwich Heath Restoration Project where we were on our hands and knees yet again to see the tiny beautiful flowers of Herniaria glabra (smooth rupturewort). We also saw Rubus boraeanus which Alee Bull had determined last year and many plants of Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape). After the official finish on the first day a few people went to see Ferula communis (giant fennel) on the roadside verge of the All where it has been established since 1988. This had sadly been chopped down but was still surviving and its huge size could be envisaged by the remaining leaves and old stems. Steve took one of the dead stems and brought it to the meeting the next day and lit the pith to demonstrate that this was originally used in its native Mediterranean sites to carry fire from place to place and is one of the claims for the original Olympic Torch.
We started the second day at Maid's Cross Hill, Lakenheath where Steve showed us the differences between Urtica dioica (common nettle) and U. urens (small nettle), also Descurainia sophia (flixweed) and Sisymbrium altissimum (tall rocket). On our way to the deep sandy dips we passed Lupinus arboreus (tree lupin) and Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge). The dips were full of interesting plants requiring our usual stance on hands and knees much to the bemusement of a local dog walker who told us that the sand had originally been excavated for the fen roads. The plants included Silene conica (sand catchfly) with its tiny flowers showing for the photographers, Phleum arenarium (sand cat's-tail), Catapodium rigidum (fern grass), Asparagus officinalis ssp. officinalis (garden asparagus), Trifolium scabrum (rough clover) and Myosotis ramosissima (early forget-me-not). On our way back to the cars we passed separate male and female shrubs of Rhamnus cathartica (buckthorn) which we were assured were in full flower a week or so before and a highly photogenic profusion of Allium vineale (wild onion) with the bulbils sending out masses of green shoots. Other plants included Salvia verbenaca (wild clary) and Koeleria macrantha (crested hair- grass).
We moved on in convoy to Lakenheath Cemetery to see another spectacular plant in perfect condition, Orobanche purpurea (yarrow broomrape) and after much photography went to How Hill SSSI to see the two Suffolk specialities Veronica praecox (Breckland speedwell) in fruit and Alyssum alyssoides (small alison). Datura stramonium (thorn-apple) was growing in a nearby field. Lunch was eaten at Icklingham, some obeying the carefully written instructions and some not, but all successfully meeting up to explore the Icklingham triangle. Here we saw Phleum phleoides (purple-stem cat's-tail) and Steve pointed out the range of colours of Medicago sativa ssp. varia (sand lucerne) before showing us a feast of yet more rare plants in the sandy field including Viola x contempta (V. tricolor x V. arvensis hybrid pansy), Amaranthus blitoides (prostrate pigweed) which has been growing in this field since 1949 and Solarium triflorum (small nightshade) which if it had appeared in the old McClintock and Fitter would surely have been called by its common name of Pawnbroker Plant with its three round fruits clearly showing. There was also Solanum physalifolium (green nightshade).
In the next field were several fine examples of Rumex pulcher (fiddle dock) and silver sheets of Teesdalia nudicaulis (shepherd's cress) in fruit with one clump still in flower. On a steep sandy bank there were about fifty plants of Veronica verna (spring speedwell) in fruit that Steve had carefully marked out with sticks beforehand. Veronica arvensis (wall speedwell) was also there, both looking similar in their dried up state but as Steve pointed out the fruits being very different, V. verna's looking like a tiny two winged moth sitting on the edge of a beaker and V. arvensis merely looking likean open topped Capsella bursa-pastoris, so we were left in no doubt that we had seen the real thing.
At Rampart Fields we saw quantities of Dianthus deltoides (maiden pink) growing around the car park where it has been known for many years and Potentilla intermedia(Russian cinquefoil), Anisantha rigida (Ripgut Brome), Hypochaeris glabra (smooth cat's-ear) and at last Thymus serpyllum, (Breckland thyme) in full flower.
Finally some of us finished the weekend at Stow Country Park where the Breckland specialities are displayed growing in a large box at a height that enables them to be viewed in the upright position, but somehow this just didn't seem right! We also keyed out a large mullein to Verbascum x semi-album (V. thapsus x V. nigrum) to finish with yet another plant for our diaries.
Our thanks to Steve for organising the weekend in such a way that he showed us practically all the exceptional plants that Breckland has to offer in two wonderful days, and of course Deefa too.
RITA HEMSLEY