Zostera marina (Eelgrass) a new site at Bannow Bay

 Zostera marina  is a rare species on the Wexford coast. It was a very pleasant surprise to find a new location within Bannow Bay. This site is on the east side of Bannow Island and is now the largest site in the county. There is also another population in Bannow Bay, but right over in the far west of Bannow Bay. Otherwise there is one other site at Kilmore Quay.

Atriplex praecox (Early Orache) a new native species for Co. Wexford and 2nd site for Ireland

 This time of year I spend a lot of time looking at Atriplex as I find them a very interesting species. Most people think they are very boring! Two weeks ago I found Atriplex praecox (Early Orache) as a new native species for Ireland from the very SW corner of Ireland on the shore of Valentia Island, Kerry. Known from a scattering of sites from Scotland and the very north of England. Yesterday I went and had a look at the SW corner of Lady's Island Lake at Rostonstown and there it was again, Atriplex praecox. If you like showy plants, this isn't for you. Has to be one of the dullest rare species out there, most plants are rarely more than 6 cm across, and lay flat on the ground. Generally a reddish-purple in colour, but can be a greenish-purple. Atriplex praecox is said to like sheltered sea lochs in Scotland, certainly plenty of these in the north of Ireland. There must be other sites out there waiting to be found!

 The lower leaves are trullate, in other words trowel-shaped. The bracteoles are only joined at the very base. In both the Wexford and Kerry sites Atriplex praecox grows just above the hide tide mark. The very bottom picture shows the habitat at Lady's Island Lake.

Ulex x breoganii a new hybrid gorse for Wexford

Ulex x breoganii is a hybrid between Ulex europaeus (Gorse) and Ulex gallii (Western Gorse). Gorse is common over the whole of the county. Western Gorse is much more restricted within the county, often being found on the more heathy ground and acid soils. Zoe Delvin the finder said would I like to go and see a gorse she had found, which from photos we thought could be Ulex minor (Dwarf Gorse), a species that has only once been reported from the county back in 1959.

There were 11 bushes of Ulex x breoganii on the side of a disused railway at Mountelliott, a little north of New Ross. The books all say measure a range of flowers, I did this with flowers from all 11 bushes and could see they better fitted between the two species. Ulex europaeus has blue/green stems and foliage and large strong spines, and pale yellow flowers. Whilst Ulex gallii has dark green foliage and week spines and whole plant much more slender, and golden yellow flowers. Ulex x breoganii is somewhere in the middle, foliage is neither blue/green or dark green and the flowers are a deep yellow but not as golden as Ulex gallii. To be sure we sent photos to Jeanne Webb who is very familiar with the hybrid and Jeanne agreed with our ID.

 Below: The proud finder taking photos of Ulex x breoganii.

Calystegia x howittiorum (C. pulchra x C. silvatica) new for Wexford

 Alexis Fitxgerald email me to ask if I knew the hybrid between Calystegia pulchra (Hairy Bindweed) x Calystegia silvatica (Large Bindweed) = Calystegia x howittiorum - that day I didn't. The next day I was driving along in Wexford and saw the above pink flowered bindweed in a roadside hedge, I stopped to get a map reference. On looking at the plant I could see it wasn't C. pulchra as I had expected but the hybrid C. x howittiorum. The next day I stopped to look at a known site for C. pulchra, and again it was the hybrid. The hybrid has never been recorded form Wexford before. The hybrid has pink flowers, bracteoles (see photos below) near to Calystegia silvatica subsp. disjuncta, plus the pedicel has a wavy-edged wing (see photo below) like C. pulchra.

                                 Above: Calystegia x howittiorum left. Calystegia pulchra right.

                      Below: showing the wavy-edged wing of the hybrid inherited from C. pulchra

Pastinaca sativa subsp. urens (Eastern Parsnip) a new parsnip for Ireland

 After reading Alan Leslie's article on 'An overlooked parsnip in Britain' in BSBI News No. 134 January 2017, I started to wonder if the parsnip at Rosslare Ferryport could also be Pastinaca sativa subsp. urens (Eastern Parsnip). I had to wait until it flowered. A specimen was sent to Alan and he agreed it was Eastern Parsnip. This new parsnip has sort of a round stem, but has no deep grooves and ridge like the other subsp. have. Also the terminal umbel on Eastern Parsnip is the same size as all the other heads on the same plant. The bottom picture shows a large patch of the Eastern Parsnip on a bank by all the parked new cars and vans. The area has just been fenced in, much harder now to gain access.