BSBI News January 2015 No. 128 Edited by Trevor James & Gwynn Ellis ISSN 0309-930X Ranunculus sardous collected from Pill (v.c.6) in 2008 flowering in 2009 for the first time Ranunculus sardous flower (l) and sepals (r) Ranunculus bulbosus flower (l) and sepals (r) Ranunculus sardous petal (l) with rounded nectary scale. R. bulbosus petal (r) with flat edged nectary Anagallis monelli (Shrubby Pimpernel), near scale Swife Farm, E. Sussex (v.c.14). All Ranunculus photos © M. Webster (see p. 30) Photo: R. Wells © 2014 (see p. 42) CONTENTS Important Notices Vascular plant Red Data List for Great From the President......................I. Denholm 2 Britain: a summary of amendments From the Company Secretary........C. Lovatt 3 ............................S. Leach & K. Walker 47 Notes from the Editors....T. James & G. Ellis 4 A trio of unusual alien ferns (v.c.6) Notes.......................................................... 5-55 ........................H.J. Crouch & F. Rumsey 54 Points arising from Flora Gallica...M. Rand 5 Requests & Offers.................................. 56-58 Limonium binervosum as a roadside halophyte Horticultural names in print and an ....................................................T. Pyner 6 opportunity to volunteer from home Investigating the impact of Ash dieback .............................................J. Armitage 56 ....................................O.L. Pescott, et al. 8 New online interactive flora.T.F. Marshall 57 Potamogeton nodosus in the Jubilee River Seeds from Ware in 2014..........G. Hanson 58 ...................................................M. Holt 10 Obituary Notes............................................ 59 Spiranthes romanzoffiana and Filipendula Notices.............................................................60 vulgaris in v.c.73..................D. Hawker 12 Botanical Research Fund............M. Carine 60 Identification of Atriplex praecox 2014 BSBI Photography Competition .............................................J. Richards 13 – Results.............................J. McIntosh 60 Early English plant names..........P.C. Horn 14 Recorders and Recording..................... 61-66 Flora of Hawick Burgh.......M. Braithwaite 16 Panel of Referees and Specialists.........J. Ison 61 Filago pyramidata new to Wiltshire Panel of Vice-county Recorders....P. Stroh 61 ........................S. Pilkington & J. Moon 20 National Plant Monitoring Scheme in 2015 Revisiting Schoenoplectus pungens ...................................O.L. Pescott et al. 62 .................................................P.H. Smith 21 Scottish vice-county recorder vacancies Frog Rush as an inland plant on roadsides ............................................J. McIntosh 63 ...............................................M. Wilcox 25 Anglesey (v.c.52) – vacancy for joint recorder Should Senecio vulgaris ssp. denticulatus be ................................................I. Bonner 63 a species?...............................M. Wilcox 27 Atlas 2020: Is the BSBI on course for My six year old annual, Ranunculus sardous complete coverage across Britain & .............................................M. Webster 30 Ireland?...............................J. McIntosh 64 Recorder bias in the distribution of vascular Diary for 2015.........................C. Metherell 66 plants and charophytes in Surrey Book Notes............................J. Edmondson 67 .................................................B. Pitkin 31 Nature’s conscience - the life and legacy of Notes on British populations of Ophrys Derek Ratcliffe...................H.J.B. Birks 68 sphegodes............................M.C. Chalk 35 Notes from the Officers......................... 69-73 Some additions to the 2014 Vascular From the Hon. Gen. Sec.........C. Metherell 69 plant Red List for England.........T. Rich 38 From the Head of Operations Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog Bilberry) in .......................................J. Houldsworth 69 Derbyshire................................G. Coles 39 From the acting Welsh Officer.....P. Green 70 Adventives & Aliens News, 4......M. Berry 41 From theIrish Officer...................M. Long 70 An unexpected find – and a mystery solved From the Publicity & Outreach Officer ....................................................B. Reid 43 .................................................L. Marsh 72 Confusion over cobs: are planted Corylus From the Hon. Field Meetings Secretary not what they seem?...............G.M. Kay 44 ..............................................J. Shanklin 73 More on the hybrid Cob Corylus avellana × Stop Press – Organising a Recording Week......73 C. maxima...........................T. Marshall 44 Botanical Crossword 24...............Cruciada 74 Eleusine africana (Osgrass) in Evesham Solution & crib for Crossword 24................75 ....................................................B. Reid 45 Deadline for News 129................................. 67 Claytonia perfoliata in the British Isles Administration and important Addresses...76 ...............................................M. Wilcox 46 2 Important Notices – From The President IMPORTANT NOTICES From The President IAN DENHOLM, 4 High Firs Crescent, Harpenden, Herts., AL5 1NA; (01582 760180; 07974 112993; [email protected]) Volunteers take on a vital and diverse range of captured and made available via the BSBI tasks within the BSBI, including serving as Scotland pages on the website. I greatly officers or committee members, acting as vice- support and encourage such use of 21st century county recorders or taxonomic referees, and of technology to make the outputs of national and course contributing more broadly to our botan- regional events accessible to the membership ical objectives. One person who has fulfilled as a whole. all these roles and more is David Pearman, Since the last BSBI News there have been whose distinguished career was celebrated at a notable appointments to two of the most influ- memorable meeting at Kew Gardens in ential officer posts within the BSBI. Following September. A series of formal scientific Lynne Farrell’s resignation as Hon. Gen. Sec. presentations was followed by a session of last June, and a brief ‘interregnum’, I am personal reminiscences and tributes that were delighted that Chris Metherell has kindly subsequently described by David (light-heart- offered to take on the post. Chris will be edly I am sure) as “the most embarrassing few combining this with his roles as a BSBI trustee minutes of my life”! and VCR for v.c.68 (North Northumberland), At the same event we launched a new BSBI not to mention lead authorship of the forth- publication A vascular plant Red List for coming handbook on Euphrasia – an astonish- England’, supported by funding from Natural ingly generous commitment of his time on England, to an audience that included invited behalf of the Society. Due to a heavy and members of the press. As a consequence, some mounting professional workload, Antony of the key (and too often grim) messages Timmins expressed a desire to stand down as regarding the status of the English flora were Hon. Treasurer and will be succeeded by Terry publicised in daily newspapers and other Swainbank. As many of you will recall, Terry media outlets. You can read more about these was also Antony’s predecessor. We welcome and other BSBI events on page 72 of this issue him back with the assurance that changes to of BSBI News and on our News & Views blog the structure and governance of BSBI in the here: http://bsbipublicity.blogspot.co.uk/. interim, many of them instigated by Antony, The Annual Exhibition Meeting held at the should render the post more manageable than University of Leicester in November broke all previously. Huge thanks go to Antony, whose previous attendance records for a provincial skills and expertise will remain at BSBI’s meeting and seemed to be enjoyed hugely by disposal through his ongoing participation as a all. Thanks to Louise Marsh and her v.c.55 BSBI trustee. team for organising this and for the Following the success of the Annual outstanding hospitality. I was greatly Summer Meeting in Perthshire last June, plans impressed by the quality of the presentations are underway for a similar meeting in 2015, and the exhibits, and encourage folks unable to exploring the north coast of Ireland based at attend to view those that have been digitised the University of Ulster at Coleraine. Dates are and archived on the BSBI website at 12th-16th June with two days of excursions to http://bsbi.org.uk/exhibition_meeting.html. stunning sites along the coastline and two Similarly, contributions to recent and excellent optional days visiting less well-known areas to Annual Meetings convened by the BSBI record for Atlas 2020. Details are currently Committee for Scotland are now being being finalised so please keep a close eye on Important Notices – From The President / From the Company Secretary 3 the website for announcements. You can also New Year’s Day. The action is being reported express an interest in receiving details via as it happens on BSBI’s Facebook page, email by sending a note to ASM2015@ Twitter feed and the News & Views blog. bsbi.org. Activities like the NYPH contribute scientif- Prospects for botanising at this time of the ically to understanding phenology and year can be rather bleak. However, by the time responses to environmental variation but, this issue of BSBI News appears we will have equally importantly, demonstrate the enthu- completed another year of BSBI’s ‘New Year siasm