Brassicaceae

(Cruciferae)

Crucifers

From Streeter et al., 2016, 'Family Key':

"Flowers regular, petals free, stamens ≤x2 the number of sepals

Sepals 4; petals 4 arranged in a cross; stamens (4)-6; leaves alternate; flowers mostly white or yellow"

For the specimen(s) below, hover over image in gallery for description and select for a full screen preview.

ID: 017

Date: 30 Apr 2024

Locality: Page Hill, Buckingham

Location (Lat/Long): 52.00236, -0.97444

Landscape/habitat: Side of an access road, in a small cluster. Shaded due to tree cover (hedgerow).

Identification notes: Leaves alternate, petals arranged like a cross.

From Streeter et al. (2016, p.186) description of characters, with my observations:

• Roots and leaves smelling of garlic when crushed (leaves did)

• Stem leaves stalked (yes, shown in 3rd image)

• Petals about twice as long as sepals (see image 4, although hard to see from the photo)

• Flowers Apr - Jun (expected at the time)

• Habitat: Wood margins, hedgerows, roadsides, shady places.. (specimen at side of road/hedgerow, partially shaded)

Name: Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata

ID: 013

Date: 30 Apr 2024

Locality: Pilch Field, Buckinghamshire

Location (Lat/Long): 51.98249, -0.9113

Landscape/habitat: Wet meadow, SSSI and managed by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT, no date). Shows ancient 'ridge and furrow' plough marks.

Identification notes: This seemed to be mainly located in the furrows (the wetter part of the site?). Petals 4, sepals 4.

From Streeter et al. (2016, p.192) description of characters, with my observations:

"Petals > 5mm, purple, pink or white:

Petals pale to dark pink, anthers yellow = C. pratensis"

(in this case the petals were pale (actually white), anthers yellow. Note that newer looking flowers had petals that looked more lilac, see 3rd image in gallery - which is in the main description of C. pratensis.)

Habitat of damp grassland (yes)

Flowers Apr - Jun (so expected at this time)

Name: Lady's smock, Cardamine pratensis

References

Streeter, D., Hart-Davies, C., Hardcastle, A., Cole, F. and Harper, L. (2016) Collins wild flower guide. Revised and updated 2nd edition. edn. London: William Collins.

BBOWT (no date) Pilch Field. Available at: https://www.bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/pilch-field (Accessed: 13 May 2024).