Sunday 2 July 2017

Oxfordshire Botany

Met up with Gareth Knass today and visited a few botanical hot spots in Oxfordshire. We visited Lye Valley Nature Reserve, Sydlings Copse, Pryton Hill and Aston Rowant. Sites

Lye Valley (Calcareous Fen habitat) 
 The stunning Marsh Helleborine 
 Lye Valley
 Marsh Woundwort 
 Parsley Water-dropwort
 Marsh Lousewort
 Marsh Pennywort (also Marsh Valerian in pic) 
 Flea Sedge. Gareth also found Brown, Carnation, Common, Few-flowered Spike-rush, Glaucous, Pendulous, Long-stalked Yellow Sedge and Greater Tussock Sedge. 
 Lesser Pond Sedge- identified by the acute angled ligule
 Marsh Arrowgrass
 Cotton Grass 
Marsh Helleborine again

Sydlings Copse (Limestone grassland)

 Rough Hawkbit was abundant in the limestone grassland habitat.
 Common Fragrant Orchid 
 Wild Liquorice

Pryton Hill and Aston Rowant (Chalk Grasslands) 


 Views from the Chiltern Ridge 
 Frog Orchid 
 Pyramidal Orchids and Yellow-wort
 Thyme-leaved Sandwort
 Squinancywort
 Yellow-wort
 The very rare Small-leaved Sweet-Briar on left compared to Dog Rose on right 
 Small-leaved Sweet-Briar- the thorns are broader based than other roses
 One of the main features of Rosa agestris (Small-leaved Sweet Briar) is the glandular texture on the underside of the leaves
 The glands also extend to the rachis 
 The fruit stalks of Small-leaved Sweet Briar are long and bare
 Small flowered Sweet-briar for comparison showing the prickled flower stalk 
 Hairy Dog Rose- the underside of the leaves have hairs rather than glands
and another Rose for the day- Field Rose. 

In short- an epic day! Thanks a lot Gareth and looking forward to next botany exploration trip soon. 



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