Flora News Newsletter of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Flora Group No. 48 Spring 2015 Published January 2015 Dear Flora Group member In this issue we have details of lots of events in 2015. Our AGM this year will be held on Saturday 23 May in the East Hampshire Hangers when we will be visiting Roundhills Hanger. If you attended the Flora Group event at Testwood on 6 December last year, you might recall seeing Tony Mundell’s photo of this site where hundreds of Greater Butterfly-orchids can be seen at the end of May. John Richards, the BSBI’s Taraxacum referee, will be leading a three-day workshop on dandelions in April and Martin Rand will lead workshops on the identification of ‘dandelion-like’ members of the Asteraceae, ferns and umbellifers during the summer. John Poland will be running a day focusing on identification of winter twigs and a training session on identification of plants using vegetative characteristics. Other events are well spread throughout the county, including visits to the New Forest, Fleet Pond, Hartfordbridge Flats, Bartley Heath and the Biddenfield estate near Shedfield. This issue is a bumper one, with several short articles by Clive Chatters and a detailed account of the newly published Red List for England by Martin Rand, which includes an update to the Hampshire Notable plants list. We are always keen for more people to submit contributions to Flora News on any relevant botanical topics. If you have enjoyed any of the Flora Group events and would like to write a report, we would be very pleased to receive it. Please send your articles, notes or reports to Catherine Chatters at Catherine. [email protected] or to her home address which is given at the end of this newsletter. Catherine Chatters John Norton Flora Group Secretary Editor In This Issue Forthcoming Events ................................................................................................................................ 2 Reports of Recent Events ........................................................................................................................ 5 Features The Vascular Plant Red List for England: What does it mean for Hampshire? .. Martin Rand ...................... 12 News and Views Narrow-leaved Lungwort ............................................................. Clive Chatters ................................ 18 Micheldever .............................................................................. Clive Chatters ................................ 18 Wood Calamint on the Isle of Wight ............................................. Clive Chatters ................................ 19 Slender Cottongrass ................................................................... Clive Chatters ................................ 20 Pitcher Plant Prey in the New Forest ............................................. Clive Chatters ................................ 20 Fungi in the New Forest .............................................................. Clive Chatters ............................... 21 The New Forest Non-Native Plants Project .................................... Catherine Chatters ......................... 21 Flora Gallica .............................................................................. Eric Clement .................................. 22 Recording Cotoneasters Crib ..................................................................... John Norton .................................. 24 Atlas 2020: Progress in Hampshire .............................................. Martin Rand ................................... 23 VC11 Notes and Records ............................................................ Martin Rand ................................... 24 VC12 Records ........................................................................... Tony Mundell ................................. 37 Membership and Recording Information .................................................................................................. 42 Hot or cold buffet meals can be provided at the venue Forthcoming Events for the evening lab sessions, and menus and prices will be sent out at the same time. Alternatively, Ringwood There is normally no need to book a place on Hampshire has a range of pubs and restaurants if you are prepared Flora Group events beforehand, unless the text specifically to eat before or after the sessions. requests it. A contact telephone number is only given in case you wish to know more about the event. The The cost per person for the workshop itself will be £20. leader can be expected to turn up whatever the weather Booking requests should be sent by contacting Martin (although it may then be mutually agreed to cancel the Rand (see back page for contact information). Martin event)! will then supply details for electronic and other means of payment, and your booking will be fully confirmed on receipt. Postal payments should be sent to Martin at Sunday 8 March 2015, 10.30am–4pm his home address (see back page), enclosing a stamped Winter Twig ID at Testwood Lakes Education Centre self-addressed A4 or A5 envelope and a cheque for £20 Leader: John Poland made out to ‘Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’ If you would like to improve your skills in identifying trees and inscribed ‘Taraxacum workshop’ on the reverse. during the winter, join John Poland at Testwood Lakes Bookings should be made not later than Monday 2 for a day looking at twigs. Meet at Testwood Lakes March. Refunds for cancellations after that date will Education Centre, Brunel Road, Totton, Southampton, only be made if the place can be filled from a waiting list. SO40 3XP. Bring a hand lens and any specimens that you would like to identify. Bring a packed lunch. Tea and Sunday 26 April 2015 10.30am–4pm coffee will be available for a small donation. (Please note Identification using Vegetative Characteristics that when you arrive at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve Leader: John Poland you will see a building on the right. This is the Sea John Poland is well known as the co-author (with Flora Scouts’ building; please drive on past this building and Group member Eric Clement) of The Vegetative Key to you will eventually reach the Testwood Lakes Education the British Flora so this is an excellent opportunity to learn Centre.) Please park in the car park near the Education how to identify plants using vegetative characteristics. Centre. Meet at Testwood Lakes Education Centre, Brunel Road, Contact: John Poland, mobile: 07714 568361, e-mail: Totton, Southampton, SO40 3XP. If you have a copy [email protected]. of The Vegetative Key to the British Flora please bring it with you. However if you do not already own a copy, Friday 17 April–Monday 20 April 2015 John will bring some for sale at the special discount price Taraxacum (Dandelion) Recording and Training Workshop, of £20. Bring a hand lens and any specimens that you Ringwood and surrounding area would like to identify. Bring a packed lunch. Tea and Leader: John Richards, Organiser: Martin Rand coffee will be available for a small donation. (Please note that when you arrive at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve Taraxacum is probably the least well studied and you will see a building on the right. This is the Sea understood of all the critical species groups in Hampshire, Scouts’ building; please drive on past this building and and records are quite patchy. This workshop offers an you will eventually reach the Testwood Lakes Education opportunity to improve identification skills and contribute Centre.) Please park in the car park near the Education to our local knowledge in the company of the country’s Centre. chief expert in the genus. The range of habitats will include sandy acid grasslands, New Forest grass heath Contact: John Poland, mobile: 07714 568361, e-mail: and damp pasture, riverine pasture and old water-meadow [email protected]. (water levels permitting!) and ruderal and wayside sites. Saturday 23 May 2015, 10.30am– 4pm The workshop will run from Friday late afternoon until Visit to East Hampshire Hangers and Flora Group AGM midday on Monday, and there will be evening lab sessions Leaders: Tony Mundell and Steve Povey on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is being promoted as a BSBI event in collaboration with the Hampshire Flora The East Hampshire Hangers are a wonderful botanical area Group, and from past experience demand for places will packed with uncommon plants. Amongst other ‘goodies’ be high. We shall take bookings only from people who we should see Greater Butterfly-orchid Platanthera can commit to the whole of the event (including the chlorantha, Narrow-leaved Helleborine Cephalanthera evening sessions). longifolia, White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium, Juniper Juniperus communis, Bird’s-nest Orchid Neottia The course is non-residential; some suggestions for places nidus-avis and also, depending on how far we walk, both to stay locally will be sent out with a confirmation of your species of Hellebore and Opposite-leaved Pondweed booking, along with a programme and directions. We Groenlandia densa. This is a chance to see our rare native shall meet up at Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood Italian Lords-and-Ladies Arum italicum subsp. neglectum on Friday where there will be a short introductory talk in its natural habitat. and a chance to start fieldwork. The other evening lab sessions will also take place at the Greyfriars Community Park on the grass verge towards the end of Honeycritch Centre which is in a central position