Monday 22 May 2017

Luzula multiflora subsp. hibernica

 It was good to find lots of Luzula multiflora subsp. hibernica an Irish endemic today in the centre of a track leading to a disused quarry at Burrow very close to the Wicklow border. This is only the 4th record for the county. It is a much slender plant than Luzula multiflora subsp. congesta. It is more like a hybrid between Luzula campestris (Field Wood-rush) and Luzula multiflora (Heath Wood-rush) as it looks some where half way between the two species. Had to measure the seed appendage, all less than 0.3mm in length. The whole plant isn't as big or as hairy as Luzula multiflora subsp. congesta.



Friday 19 May 2017

Trifolium ornithopodioides (Bird's-foot Clover) a new site on the south coast

 Bird's-foot Clover is a rare clover in Wexford. Very surprised today to find a new site at Bannow. 15 km from the nearest site on the south coast. I had walked over the clover twice before I noticed it on the bare gravel. There were 58 clumps. Bird's-foot Clover is very easy to over look as it looks like a small patch of non-flowering White Clover, has much smaller leaves. The flowers are very tiny and it is easy not to even notice them. A great find from a place I have been to a number of times over the years.

 Below is the habitat the clover was found in.

Monday 15 May 2017

Euphorbia amygdaloides (Wood Spurge) re-found in Wexford

 Wood Spurge is not native in Ireland. It has been established in Co. Cork for well over a 100 years. In Wexford it has only been recorded twice. 1872 from near Enniscorthy and in 1955 at Bunclody, both are believed to be garden escapes. Neither give enough information with the record to know where to search. Wood Spurge isn't very commonly grown in Irish gardens. It was the last species I expected to re-find in the county. There was one clump of Wood Spurge on the edge of a patch of bracken near the bank of the River Slaney near Wexford Town. Will be interesting to see if it spreads.