A second population of Musk Stork’s-bill (Erodium moschatum) has been found in Bexley, with 5 plants in the grass verge on the west side of Perry Street roundabout, and at least one other round the corner in Parkside Avenue. I had, however, seen these long before I reported on this website what I had thought was my first find of it, a couple of weeks ago in Welling. But at the time I first noticed the Perry Street plants they had looked decidedly flatter and more obviously rosette-like, and I had mistakenly taken them to be an umbellifer such as Corn Parsley, and had decided to wait for them to flower before identifying them properly. Now there are some flowers, it’s clear that even a reasonably good botanist can still get it horribly wrong, especially if they don’t examine things adequately!
Musk Stork’s-bill (Erodium moschatum) by Perry Street roundabout. One of two sites for this plant – not previously recorded in Bexley – that has been found in the last two weeks. (Photo: Chris Rose)
After an earlier misidentification, the first few flowers have made it clear what this plant really is …. (Photo: Chris Rose)
Whilst up at Crossness today for the Skylarks demo, I took a few mobile phone shots of Fumaria capreolata (White Ramping-fumitory), found last year by Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve member Mike Robinson. This was a notable record and was reported thus in ‘Kent Botany 2015’ published by the Kent Botanical Recording Group: ‘[It] is in Kent mostly a plant of vc15, although there were a couple of discoveries in West Kent, vc16, in 2015. On 2 July, DS encountered a large flowering sprawling plant on fly-tipped soil by a bridge over the M2 near Strood, TQ 71037 68982. The species was also found in quantity by Mike Robinson on 16 November, growing by the Thames Path north of Dartford and close to the Riverside Resource Recovery facility, TQ 49581 80758. It had been strimmed, but returned since. The initial identification was made by DS; the large sepals and greenish visible keel pointed to this species.’
White Ramping Fumitory – an excellent discovery by Mike Robinson – growing between the Thames footpath and Belvedere incinerator fence. (Photo: Chris Rose)
White Ramping Fumitory at Crossness – a closer view of a flower spike. (Photo: Chris Rose)
Following my discovery of a colony of Rue-leaved Saxifrage in Crayford town centre last month, also reported on this website, Mike has let us know that he has also added another new Bexley site record for what is a fairly rare plant in London, after spotting it growing along the Thames footpath in the Belvedere area recently.
Chris Rose
