Month: October 2020

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Resedaceae or the Mignonette family

Wild Mignonette growing at Abbotstone Downs in Hampshire (by M. S.)

This week I like to introduce the uses about the Mignonette (or Resedaceae) family here on the British Isles with only 5 species mentioned in Stace, whereby just 2 are native and 3 are introduced species.

I got inspired to write this post as I noticed the Weld plant on a boatyard we visited last week. I love the rosettes of wrinkly leaves and the tall spikes of small flowers.

All the information found is again from various Floras and websites and the links for those are provided. Have utilized the info in our very own Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country this time which is produced by Ecorecord. Pictures by Matt Summers, Mike Poulton and Wikipedia.

Contents:

Reseda luteola or Weld

Reseda lutea or Wild Mignonette

Reseda alba or White Mignonette

Reseda odorata or Garden Mignonette

Reseda phyteuma or Corn Mignonette

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Part Two of the Malvaceae: The Limes

Large Lime along busy road in Walsall (picture by M. Summers)
Pollarded Lime In Dudley (picture by M. Poulton)
Lime trees are versatile in use and stature in towns and countrysite!

The Lime trees are recognisable large trees often planted along roads and in parks. They often get pruned very hard, a process called: pollarding, which may happen in restricted areas such as shown in the picture above. Fortunately the trees in Walsall are not pruned so are extremely scented when in flower and very useful for honeybees!

They have heart-shaped leaves, fragrant flowers in summer and later the round, pea-size fruit are attached to the persistent papery leaf called a bracteole which ‘sails’ down to the ground eventually and possibly form a new tree if it finds some suitable soil!

All known uses are listed on the next page with blue background for interesting facts and Wildlife Uses, pink for Medicinal Uses or danger and green for all Other Uses! Information found on various websites as well as books for which links are provided. a very useful website is ‘A Modern Herbal’ by Mrs. M. Grieve, which has a lot of concise information on Lime. FBBC added behind name in Contents if tree occurs in Birmingham and the Black Country Flora.

Contents:

Genus Tilia in the British Isles:

Tilia x europaea (T. cordata × platyphyllos) or Common Lime FBBC

T. platyphyllos or Large-leaved Lime FBBC

T. cordata or Small-leaved Lime FBBC

T. tomentosa or Silver Lime

Continue reading “Part Two of the Malvaceae: The Limes”