SLBI GAZETTE January 2016 Copy 2
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The SLBI was founded in 1910 by A O Hume The SLBI Gazette www.slbi.org.uk Series 2 no. 23 January 2016 South London Botanical Institute, 323 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AQTel/Fax 020 8674 5787 E mail [email protected] ; @SLBotanicalInst; Registered Charity 214251, South London Botanical Institute Plant Hunting Along replaced by a mosque, elegant arcades Greentours had chosen an optimum and formal gardens. Today the town time to visit the region. As we made The Eastern Border has become notorious as a departure our way through the valleys some of Of Turkey (Talk Given To place for people crossing the border the fields were colourful with scarlet The SLBI) into Syria to join the jihadi terrorists. poppies. Although such scenes are familiar, the poppies were different We then travelled a few miles further My husband John and I were fortunate from those we have seen in Kent. south to another ancient town called to have made two visits to eastern Papaver persicum with salmon flowers Harran which largely in ruins. It has a Turkey. This largely mountainous was very choice. Although we saw few large number of traditional adobe region borders on Syria, Iraq, Iran, orchids, we found some satisfyingly ‘beehive houses’ or ‘trulli’, which are Armenia and Georgia. There was large meadows full of different forms domed clay buildings constructed political unrest in the area during our of Dactylorhiza umbrosa. Among them without wood. Romans, Arabs and visit and we were warned to keep our we found a variety of our common Mongols have ruled the city in times heads below the skyline while spotted orchid called Dactylorhiza past. It was formerly a holy place of climbing the rocky mountainsides in fuchsii var. rhodochila. Its name major significance and was mentioned search of flowers. Sometimes we could indicates that it has red leaves. The in Genesis, where there is a see Kurdish tanks below us in the flowers have a distinctive cerise lip. description of Abraham’s journey to valleys. We were fortunate to have that When this variety turned up on the Promised Land. window of opportunity to visit an area Downe Bank in 2012 I recognised it immediately, although it had green noted for its spring flowering bulbs And Terah took Abram and his son, and because terrorist activity has increased leaves. The Downe Bank specimen Lot the son of Hara his son’s son, and Sarai was a single plant and it was still significantly since then. Earlier this his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; year Britons were warned against non- producing flowers in June this year. and they went forth with them fom Ur of Possibly its seeds were brought onto essential travel in the region due to the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; terrorist activity. the nature reserve on feet or and they came unto Harran and dwelt machinery because it also occurs at there. On our first visit we toured cultural sites in south-eastern Turkey. Then in 2007 we joined a group led by Greentours during the last week in May and the first week in June, which took us further north into the region surrounding Lake Van and Mount Ararat. I began my lecture with photos of Sanliurfa, or Urfa, a town that is noted for its biblical associations. In ancient times it was known as Edessa. History tells us that Abraham’s body was burnt on a funeral pyre here. The wind blew his ashes into a sacred pool, where they turned into golden carp. The site of the early Christian church has been Mount Ararat famed by a row of Iris iberica : Photograph by John and Irene Palmer Amongst other distinctive plants that they appeared to be dressed like caught our eye, the most familiar of crusaders. There was also a delightful these was Pedicularis caucasica, a large representation of Jonah being yellow-flowered lousewort. It swallowed by a whale. There are belonged formerly to the several of these fine churches in the Scrophulariaceae and is now a member region that have been spared because of the broomrape family. In addition they were built in isolated positions. to this plant we were very lucky to Elsewhere we noticed stones used in find the scarlet flowered Phelypaea some of the buildings in the villages tournefortii another member of the we visited had Christian symbols broomrape family. This rarity was indicating they had been removed growing beside the magnificent from former churches. Muradiye waterfall. Lagotis stolonifera (Scrophulariaceae) a low plant with But it was the plants with bulbs, bluebell-like leaves was another choice tubers or rhizomes that were the main species. Its blue flowers had petals focus of our visit. As we moved from that reminded me of Australian one rocky mountainside near the Stylidium spp. The pink pods of snowline to another, the species were Leontice leontopetalum gave no clue to constantly changing. We found pink the family to which this plant tulips (Tulipa humilis) on one slope and belonged. When it is in flowers its red tulips (Tulipa julia) elsewhere. small yellow flowers give the game Yellow celandines and thousands of Puschkinia sciloides : Photograph by John away because they can be recognised clustered pale blue flower spikes of and Irene Palmer immediately as a member of the Puschkinia sciloides carpeted another Berberis family. According to Rodney slope. The large mauve-pink flowers of the Kent Wildlife Trust’s Sevenoaks Burton, this plant roots very deeply in Merendera kurdica set off by fleshy Reserve. stony soil and needs occasional bronze leaves were particularly handsome. The list grew daily as we Turkey has a very diverse flora but disturbance. It was much admired but perhaps is unsuitable for the SLBI added white Ornithogalum narbonense, during our visit it was noticeable that blue Belevalia paradoxa and blue often a limited number of species garden. Adonis wolgonensis was another treasure. We had to climb a very steep Ixiolirion tataricum. Living up to their dominated the lowland meadows and name, we found spectacular golden we found a similar situation at higher hillside to photograph its large flower clumps that reminded me of a robust spikes of Eremurus spectabilis in a altitude, where red tulips might be Muslim cemetery. found on one rocky slope and pink on winter aconite. We had seen its scarlet another. There were striking displays relative Adonis aestivalis, at lower altitude. Near the snow line some of Aside from these plants, opinions in the meadows of pale mauve were divided as to whether it was Gladiolus kotschyanus and deep purple the highlights were a Pasque flower Gladiolus atroviolaceous in the Pulsatila albana and rock jasmine meadows, while one was dominated by Androsace vilosa, a tiny gem with the pink flowers of Primula auriculata. small white flowers on silvery cushions that is valued by alpine As keen photographers we were gardeners. mostly interested in photographing some of the more attractive and We visited three historic sites unusual flowers. Two members of the during the tour that were Boraginaceae were particularly particularly impressive. The ruined striking. The pink flowers of Rindera Ishak Pasha Palace stood high on a lanata emerged from a mass of silvery rocky plateau. It once guarded the hairs, while the backlit clusters of ancient Silk Route from China. stamens of Solenanthus circinnatus made Hosap Castle at Van was built on it very attractive. A handsome thistle the side of a steep cliff. Now ruined Gundelia tournefortii also demanded it was hard to imagine its former our attention. The creamy white magnificence. Remarkably, the flowers of a henbane, Hyoscyamus albus carved exterior of an Armenian were familiar but we also found church on Akdamar Island in Lake another species with large clusters of Van was intact but one fears for its pinkish mauve flowers with a future in view of the desecration of reticulated pattern on the petals. ancient sites being carried out in Finding Rosa foetida, the parent of Syria by Islamic State. Biblical some of our yellow roses, was another carvings on the exterior walls thrill. Apparently some consider that showed Mary and Jesus and David it has an unpleasant smell that is with his sling standing beside similar to boiled linseed oil. Goliath. To my way of thinking Iris iberica : Photograph by John and Irene Palmer 2 worth going to the region simply to the nation’s eventual recovery but Letta told us the word Herb has no see the great range of fritillaries or the would be needed for the development real scientific basis – it usually includes equally magnificent range of irises. of crops suitable for arid regions in the more than just herbaceous (non Some of the fritillaries had relatively future. woody) plants, as the berries and other small flowers, such as the yellow parts of some trees - elder (Sambucus Staff at the centre did everything nigra), shrubs - witch hazel (Hamamelis Fritilaria minima and red and purple F. possible to take the seeds over the pinardii and F. zagrica. Others, such as sp.) and other kinds of plants are often border. Some were taken to Turkey, included. Herbs also include more F. crassifolia had more globular flower some to the Lebanon and some to the heads and were similar in character to than just useful and edible or Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway. At one medicinal plants, as some are our native species, except here they point the area around the genebank were on a mountainside and not in a definitely for ornamental or aesthetic was controlled by two competing use. meadow. For me it was the iris family armed groups and there were that stole the show.