April 2020 - Wonderful Weed Weekly

**Dock and Ragwort, two of the most notorious weeds!**

This week it is mainly about the title or the Dock and Sorrel (or Rumex spp.) which forms a large genus in the family of the Polygonaceae or the Dock and Knotweeds family.

As usual jump links are provided in the Contents below and links in main text to more information on individual plants. FBBC added whenever the plant occurs in the Birmingham and Black Country area. Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated.

The Knotweeds, Knotgrasses and others of the Polygonaceae will be in next week’s blog.

Rumex spp. or Docks

Why are Docks Dreadful? All Negative talk!

Positive notes!

Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Other Uses

Rumex spp in the B.I.:

Rumex acetosa or Common Sorrel FBBC (the subsp. ambiguus)
R. acetosella or Sheep’s Sorrel FBBC
R. alpinus or Monk’s-rhubarb (archaeophyte)
R. aquaticus or Scottish Dock
R. confertus or Russian Dock (neophyte)
R. conglomeratus or Clustered Dock FBBC
R. crispus or Curled Dock FBBC
R. cristatus or Greek Dock (neophyte)
R. cuneifolius or Argentine Dock (neophyte)
R. dentatus or Aegean Dock (neophyte)
R. hydrolapathum or Water Dock FBBC
R. longifolius or Northern Dock
R. maritimus or Golden Dock FBBC
R. obovatus or Obovate-leaved Dock (neophyte)
R. obtusifolius or Broad-leaved Dock FBBC
R. palustris or Marsh Dock FBBC
R. patientia or Patience Dock (neophyte)
R. pulcher or Fiddle Dock
R. rupestris or Shore Dock
R. sanguineus or Wood Dock FBBC
R. scutatus or French Sorrel FBBC
R. x pratensis FBBC
R. x abortivus FBBC
R. x dufftii FBBC

Oxyria digyna or Mountain Sorrel FBBC

**The Common Gorse or Ulex europaeus is a familiar plant in the Legume family! (by Matt Summers)**

Nowadays they are called Fabaceae, but they were long known as Leguminosae and commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family.

This is a large and economically important family in the world. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (a ‘bean’) and/or their compound, stipulate leaves.

It is not as large a family in Britain perhaps but an interesting and useful family all the same! Credits are due once again to Stace‘s Flora, J. Barker’s Medicinal Flora, Plantlife and Wikipedia for most information. The link on the scientific names are mostly from the Plant Atlas 2020 Online and the information from the habitats is also copied from this Online Atlas. Pictures of the plant can be found in the ‘Gallery’. The link on the Common Name is from a website with usually some more info and pictures of the plant. I try and use UK sites as much as possible! Pictures, with thanks from Matt Summers (MS), Mike Poulton (MWP), Rudi Pilsel (RP), Sue Collingswood (SJC) and Chris Westall (CW) and from Wikipedia Commons.

In case there are any medical uses stated with the plants mentioned below, please take sensible advise from a qualified herbalist.

If you would like to learn a bit more about the classification of this large family I can recommend Britannica.com webpage

NN behind many of the names in the descriptions means Non-Native (which either could be an archaeophyte or more commonly a neophyte) and has been deliberately or accidentally introduced and has naturalised into the wild.

FBBC in the Contents page, behind the names, means that it also occurs in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country!

Phaseolus vulgaris or French Bean
P. coccineus or Runner Bean FBBC
Vigna radiata or Mung Bean
Glycine max or Soyabean

Tribe 3: Psoraleeae

Cullen americanum or Scurfy Pea

Tribe 4: Galegeae

Galega officinalis or Goat’s-rue FBBC
Colutea arborescens or Bladder-senna FBBC
C. x media or Orange Bladder-senna
Astragalus cicer or Chick-pea Milk-vetch
A. danicus or Purple Milk-vetch
A. alpinus or Alpine Milk-vetch
A. glycyphyllos or Wild Liquorice
A. odoratus or Lesser Milk-vetch
Oxytropis campestris or Yellow Oxytropis
O. halleri or Purple Oxytropis

Tribe 5: Hedysareae

Onobrychis viciifoli or Sainfoin FBBC

Tribe 6: Loteae

Anthyllis vulneraria or Kidney Vetch FBBC
Lotus hirsutus (Dorycnium hirsutum) or Hairy Canary clover FBBC
Lotus tenuis or Narrow-leaved Bird’s-foot-trefoil FBBC
L. corniculatus or Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil FBBC
- L. corniculatus var. sativus FBBC
L. pedunculatus or Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil FBBC
L. subbiflorus or Hairy Bird’s-foot-trefoil
L. angustissimus or Slender Bird’s-foot-trefoil
Tetragonolobus maritimus or Dragon’s-teeth

Tribe 7: Coronilleae

Ornithopus compressus or Yellow Serradella FBBC
O. sativus or Serradella
O. perpusillus or Bird’s foot FBBC
O. pinnatus or Orange Bird’s- foot
Coronilla valentina or Shrubby Scorpion-vetch
C. scorpioides or Annual Scorpion-vetch
Hippocrepis comosa orHorseshoe Vetch
H. emerus or Scorpion Senna
Securigera varia or Crown Vetch FBBC
Scorpiurus muricatus or Caterpillar plant FBBC

Tribe 8: Fabeae

Vicia spp.

Vicia benghalensis or Purple Vetch
V. bithynica or Bithynian Vetch FBBC
V. cracca or Tufted Vetch FBBC
V. ervilia or Bitter Vetch
V. faba or Broad Bean FBBC
V. hybrida or Hairy Yellow-vetch FBBC
V. lathyroides or Spring Vetch
V. lens or Lentil FBBC (or Lens culinaris?)
V. lutea or Yellow-vetch
V. narbonensis or Narbonne Vetch
V. orobus or Wood Bitter-vetch
V. pannonica or Hungarian Vetch FBBC
V. sativa or Common Vetch FBBC
- V. sativa subsp. sativa FBBC
- V. sativa subsp. nigra or Narrow-leaved Vetch FBBC
- V. sativa subsp. segetalis FBBC
V. sepium or Bush Vetch FBBC
Vicia tenuifolia or Fine-leaved Vetch FBBC
Vicia villosa or Fodder Vetch FBBC

Ervilia hirsuta or Hairy Tare FBBC
E. sylvatica or Wood Vetch
Ervum tetraspermum or Smooth Tare FBBC

Lathyrus spp.

Lathyrus annuus or Fodder Pea
L. aphaca or Yellow Vetchling FBBC
L. grandiflorus or Two-flowered Everlasting-pea FBBC
L. heterophyllus or Norfolk Everlasting-pea
L. hirsutus or Hairy Vetchling
L. japonicus or Sea Pea
L. latifolius or Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea FBBC
L. linifolius or Bitter-vetch FBBC
L. niger or Black Pea
L. nissolia or Grass Vetchling FBBC
L. odoratus or Sweet Pea FBBC
L. oleraceus (Pisum sativum?) or Garden Pea FBBC
L. palustris or Marsh Pea
L. pratensis or Meadow Vetchling FBBC
L. sativus or Indian Pea FBBC
L. sylvestris or Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea FBBC
L. tuberosus or Tuberous Pea
L. vernus or Spring Pea

Ononis reclinata or Small Restharrow
O. repens or Common Restharrow FBBC
O. spinosa or Spiny Restharrow FBBC

Melilotus spp. or Melilots

Melilotus albus or White Melilot FBBC
M. altissimus or Tall Melilot FBBC
M. indicus or Small Melilot FBBC
M. officinalis or Ribbed Melilot FBBC
M. sulcatus or Furrowed Melilot

Trigonella foenum-graecum or Fenugreek FBBC

Medicago spp. or Medicks

Medicago arabica or Spotted Medick FBBC
M. laciniata or Tattered Medick
M. littoralis or Shore Medick
M. lupulina or Black Medick FBBC
M. minima or Bur Medick
M. polymorpha or Toothed Medick
M. praecox or Early Medick
M. truncatula or Strong-spined Medick
M. sativa subsp. falcata or Sickle Medick FBBC
- M. sativa subsp. sativa orLucerne FBBC
M. sativa nothosubsp. varia (M. sativa subsp. falcata × subsp. sativa) or Sand Lucerne FBBC

Trifolium or Clover

Trifolium alexandrinum or Egyptian Clover
T. angustifolium or Narrow-leaved Clover
T. arvense or Hare’s-foot Clover FBBC
T. aureum or Large Trefoil
T. bocconei or Twin-headed Clover
T. campestre or Hop Trefoil FBBC
T. dubium or Lesser Trefoil FBBC
T. echinatum or Hedgehog Clover
T. fragiferum or Strawberry Clover
T. glomeratum or Clustered Clover
T. hybridum or Alsike Clover FBBC
T. incarnatum subsp. incarnatum or Crimson Clover FBBC
T. incarnatum subsp. molinerii or Long-headed Clover
T. medium or Zigzag Clover FBBC
T. micranthum or Slender Trefoil FBBC
T. occidentale or Western Clover
T. ochroleucon or Sulphur Clover
T. ornithopodioides or Bird’s-foot Clover
T. pannonicum or Hungarian Clover
T. pratense or Red Clover FBBC
T. repens or White Clover FBBC
T. resupinatum or Reversed Clover FBBC
T. scabrum or Rough Clover
T. squamosum or Sea Clover
T. stellatum or Starry Clover
T. striatum or Knotted Clover FBBC
T. strictum or Upright Clover
T. subterraneum or Subterranean Clover
T. suffocatum or Suffocated Clover
T. tomentosum or Woolly Clover

Lupinus arboreus or Tree Lupin FBBC
L. x regalis or Russell Lupin FBBC
L. albus or White Lupin
L. angustifolius or Narrow-leaved Lupin
L. nootkatensis or Nootka Lupin
L. polyphyllus or Garden Lupin

Laburnum spp. (all NN)

Laburnum anagyroides or Laburnum FBBC
L. x wateri or Hybrid Laburnum FBBC
L. alpinum or Scottish Laburnum FBBC

Cytisus spp.

Cytisus multiflorus or White Broom FBBC
C. nigricans or Black Broom
Cytisus scoparius or Broom FBBC
Cytisus scoparius subsp. maritimus or Prostrate Broom
C. striatus or Hairy-fruited Broom FBBC

Spartium junceum or Spanish Broom FBBC

Genista spp.

Genista aetnensis or Mount Etna Broom
G. anglica or Petty Whin FBBC
G. hispanica or Spanish Gorse FBBC
G. monspessulana or Montpellier Broom
G. pilosa or Hairy Greenweed
G. tinctoria or Dyer’s Greenweed FBBC

Ulex spp. or Gorse

Ulex europaeus or Gorse FBBC
U. gallii or Western Gorse FBBC
U. minor or Dwarf Gorse
U. × ⁠breoganii (Ulex europaeus × gallii)

Arachis hypogaea or Peanut FBBC

Month: April 2020

The Polygonaceae Part 1: Dreadful Docks or not?

Contents:

Rumex spp. or Docks

Rumex spp in the B.I.:

Oxyria digyna or Mountain Sorrel FBBC

The Fabaceae or Pea family in the British Isles

Contents

General information on this important family

Subfamily 1: The Faboideae

Tribe 1: Robineae

Tribe 2: Phaseoleae or ‘Beans’