I’ve always liked the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae as they were formerly known as! And everybody knows the carrot so it is also known as the Carrot family.
It is easily recognisable, especially the second subfamily, which are the true ‘Umbels’.
It is a large family with 50 genera and many genera have just the one native species or a few species.
Several of our root vegetables and herbs belong to this family, although these are cultivated forms and the wild species of which they originated are mostly not native (NN in list below) to the British Isles.
I’ve used Wikipedia, PFAF or other websites a lot again as they have such valuable information about the individual species and their uses.
Also links with the online atlas of the British and Irish Flora of the Biological Records Centre in order to find out the natural habitats of the plants.
This is the second part of useful (with many ornamental) members of the Pink family or officially the Caryophyllaceae. The first part can be found here.
I am very fond of this family as well and have been growing several native and non native species from seed.
Click links for more info and pictures from various websites. Scientific/Latin Name usually has link from the Online Atlas of the British Isles and Irish Flora. Pink background means a warning use (= poisonous!) or medicinal use, green for other uses and blue for plant habitat, interesting facts or wildlife use.
If described in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country it will be highlighted by FBBC in the Content page.
In Part 1 we covered Subfamily Alsinoideae which has 11 genera. In Part 2 we will cover another 11 genera in 2 subfamilies:
2 Subfamily Paronychioideae with 5 genera (genera 12-17)
3 Subfamily Caryophylloideae with 6 genera (genera 18-24)
Links on the scientific names is info from the Plant Atlas 2020. Links on the common names are often Wikipedia, where you can also find pictures in Wikipedia Commons or occasionally from another website. The coloured backgrounds are blue for the habitat information as found in the Online Plant Atlas 2020 as well as for general interesting facts. Green is for all sorts of uses such as food, ornamental, wildlife, etc. Pink is for medicinal use.
If described in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country it will be highlighted by FBBC in the Content page.
This decided me to write about them as well as other members of this reasonably large family of the Buttercups or Ranunculaceae. It is a rather primitive family, with its simple flowers or only number 36 in Stace.
There is so much information concerning the comfrey which is also, like the plants in the blog of last week, in the Boraginaceae Family. This week therefore, my post will concern itself purely with comfrey.
Pictures by Matt Summers, Mike Poulton and contributors from Wikipedia Commons.
This week I would like to talk about most of our native genera of the Boraginaceae or Borage Family. This is family number 114 in Stace.
My customers sometimes complain about 2 members of the Borage family: the Green Alkanet; scientifically known as Pentaglottis.
To a less extend they complain about the abundance of seedlings of Forget-me-nots in their gardens, but I think that is just showing off! As who can be upset when you see all that magnificent blue; they are all wonderful weeds really!
All there uses and benefits will be explained in this as well as in the next post, which is entirely about the Comfrey.
Pictures by Matt Summers, unless stated.
Blue background is for general interest, Pink as a warning or medicinal use and green background for all other known uses such as food and wildlife. Please use the jump links in the contents below also for quick access. Ecology information from PlantAtlas 2020 Online, Wikipedia
This week I would like to talk about a bit of a climbing menace known as the Common or Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium). Then later about the fascinating Dodders!
Is there any use to this plant you may wonder?
Please read on and find out!
I will also write about the rest of its family; the bindweed family or Convolvulaceae!
Blue background is for general interest; pink background is for medicinal use or negative information; green background for all sorts of uses. Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated. If the plant occurs in Birmingham and the Black Country, this is mentioned as FBBC in the contents page.
The Bindweeds are in the Convolvulaceae or Bindweed family, which is number 115 in Stace in between the Boraginaceae (114) and Solanaceae (116), which is the potato family.
This family has 4 genera growing in the British Isles namely; Convolvulus, Calystegia, Ipomoea (which are ‘introduced’, mostly ornamental climbers from N. America) and finally Cuscuta or Dodder.
The ivy on our wall has been looking fabulous again last year and providing the bees and wasps, as well as the odd butterfly some late nectar.
Then afterwards the black berries lasted until late spring as a nutritious food for our resident birds, mainly wood pigeons and blackbirds seem to enjoy them!