Ecological Flora of theCentral Chilterns

Section 13: Iridaceae, Amaryllidaceae

Crab spider catching bee on daffodil flower

Family: Iridaceae (Irises and Crocuses) 13.1

Yellow iris or Yellow flag Iris pseudacorusCommon wherever there is regular water, this native is both one of our most consistent pond plants and also one ofthe most persistent, capable of taking over a whole pond in a couple of seasons. Although it is a conservationheadache, it is also one of our more beautiful flowers.Identification In flower (May onwards) this plant is unmistakable and it forms dense colonies in marshes andbeside, and into, water. The long flat sword-shaped leaves are very similar to those of the introduced sweet-flagAcorus calamus (see 11.2) - hence the specific name. While the sweet-flag usually has an asymmetric midrib andlateral corrugations, both these characters can also occur in yellow iris, although the latter lacks the sweet smellof the crushed leaves. The tough red tuberous rhizomes spread vegetatively and are impossible to eliminateentirely, but the plant also spreads by producing abundant dark brown flattened round seeds in large green pods.These durable seeds are usually omnipresent in the water and mud of ponds where yellow iris is present.Notable sites To be found by any pond which holds water for some part of the year, such as Sheepwash,Dennerhill Pond, Kiln Corner pond, Peterley Manor Farm pond, Blakemore Pond and Studridge Lane pond (Speen).Also by the River Misbourne, especially in the marshes above Doctor's Meadow.Ecological associates No galls are known, and only two leaf-miners, both of which have been recorded locally (egBlakemore Pond). These are the agromyzid fly Cerodontha iraeos and the moth Orthotaelia sparganella. Thefungal rust Puccinia iridis has been found on yellow iris and also the larvae of a moth, The Crescent, and a sawflyRhadinocera micans, which can be abundant. Iris-beds are also a favourite haunt of the long-bodied and long-legged spider Tetragnatha extensa, which can be found stretched longitudinally along the leaves. Pollinatorsinclude white-tailed bumble-bee Bombus lucorum.Human associations For such a common plant it is surprising that there should be so few associations with otherwildlife, and there also seems to be no record of its use by man in this part of the country in recent times. Thebitter tubers are highly purgative, however, and have been used in folk medicine in Scotland and Ireland (includingenemas!) - Allen & Hatfield (2004).Derivation The ancient Greeks first named this plant after their word iris or "rainbow", from the variety ofcolours shown by the various species of Iris - less appropriate for our own unicolorous native species. Our Englishname "flag", however, which has no antecedent in Anglo-Saxon, bears no relation to colourful "banners", butappears to derive from a prehistoric Indo-European word used generally for "reeds" and "rushes" (also seen in theGreek for "reed" or "rush" - phloos) and merely refers to the long leaves typical of all these waterside plants.

Stinking iris or Gladdon Iris foetidissima 13.2

Our other native iris is not a water plant, nor is it verycommon. Its natural habitat is calcareous soils in drywoods and hedgerows, but it was formerly introduced tomany old churchyards and is often seen around them (egDrayton Beauchamp, Bucks).Identification The flowers (June-July) are a dingyyellow-purple or -brown, neither very conspicuous(especially in shade) nor very frequent. The plant ismore readily seen and identified by the longer-lastingold dry brown seed-pods that have opened to displayvivid red seeds. The tufted leaves are similar to yellowiris, but the plant is not patch-forming.Notable sites Stinking iris occurs in our area mostly asnaturalised introductions (eg Great Missenden ParishChurchyard or the west end of Clappins Lane). It wasrecently recorded from Rook Wood, but again it mayhave been introduced. There are no older records inour area (pre-1998) and Druce (1926) does not include itfor our district, making it likely that none of our plantsare true natives. This situation is probably more or lesstrue for the Chilterns as a whole, so it is genuinely rarehere as a native (as stated for Buckinghamshiregenerally by Maycock & Woods, 2005).Ecological associates Again there are no galls, and theagromyzid fly mining its leaves in this case isCerodontha iridis, which I have recorded locally. Themoth that makes a short mine in yellow iris beforeboring into the stem can also affect this species.Human associations Like yellow flag, this plant seemsto have acquired no human uses except its former use asa garden plant, rather surprising for this dullest of allthe irises. The open seed pods with their bright seeds,however, are long-lasting, still to be found the followingspring, and it seems they were grown for flowerdecorations, especially in churches.Derivation The crushed leaves have a distinctive smellgiving the name of "stinking" iris (and the specific namefoetidissima), although the smell has also been likenedto roast beef, hence another of its soubriquets, "roast-beef plant". "Gladdon" is derived from Latin gladius"sword", for its sword-shaped leaves.

Gladdon flower with strawberry snail guest

Introduced Irises 13.3Many species are grown in gardens and may be found as throw-outs, especially by ponds. Threespecies have been recorded locally, all with deep purple flowers, and varying amounts of whiteand yellow according to the original cultivar, in June.

Purple iris Iris versicolorA large patch was naturalised at Blakemore Pond, GreatHampden Common, but seems lately to have gone; solid stems,and bracts around flower green at flowering.

Siberian iris Iris sibiricaNaturalised at Pickup's Pond, Naphill; hollow stems and bractsbrown at flowering.

Bearded iris Iris germanicaRecorded in 1996 from Little Kingshill area; with a longitudinalpatch of pale hairs ("beard") at the base of the outer(descending) tepals.

Purple iris

Bearded iris, showing pale beard

Siberian iris, showing brown bracts

Crocuses 13.4Several introduced species of crocus are to be found around our area as garden throw-outs,usually along roadsides. "Crocus" is from the Greek krokos, itself imported from a MiddleEastern word which survives in both Hebrew and Arabic. The plants were important in thatarea as the source of saffron, the dried bright orange stamens used in cooking. The main plantcultivated for this purpose was the saffron crocus Crocus sativus, but it is rarely found as agarden escape. Our representatives were all originally grown in gardens. All have narrow greenleaves with white mid-ribs. They are welcome for their uninhibited splash of colour in spring(or, more rarely, autumn), a treat for honey and other early bees and tiny pollen beetlesMeligethes sp. They can suffer wanton damage by house sparrows, possibly because of anexcess of spring hormones, as they appear only to peck the flowers off rather than eat them.

Early crocus Crocus tommasinianusThe commonest of our crocuses is this palepurple spring species, which spreads by seed aswell as dispersal of the bulbs in garden waste. Ihave seen it in the churchyard at Prestwood, andalong Greenside, Broombarn Lane, Church Path,and Green Lane, as well as near garden rubbish inPeterley Wood. It can be in flower before themiddle of February. It has recently spreadwidely by seed across lawns (eg Lovell Estate,Prestwood), perhaps pollination and germinationbeing favoured by a warming climate.

Yellow or Dutch crocus Crocus x luteus(until recently C. x stellaris)This is another frequent spring species, a gardencultivar developed in Holland; it starts floweringabout the middle of February. I have seen italong Nairdwood Lane and Wycombe Road,Prestwood, and Clappins Lane.

Spring crocus Crocus vernusThe deep purple flower distinguishes it fromEarly Crocus; it also starts flowering about themiddle of February. I recorded it beside CockpitHole before it was restored, and it was plantedin Kiln Common community orchard in 2009. Likethe two species above, it is naturalised andspreading in my garden in Prestwood.

[Bieberstein's crocus Crocus speciosusThis autumn-flowering species has dark veins onits pale purple tepals and a white tube at thebase of the flower. It is grown in gardens in thearea and might be found as an escape. It hasbeen long established just south of us towardsHigh Wycombe, on a bank between HughendenRoad and Hughenden Park, where it was firstrecorded in error in the 1960s as Autumn CrocusCrocus nudiflorus, which lacks conspicuous veinsand has a purple tube.]

Early crocus

Yellow crocus

13.5

Variety of yellow crocus with dark outer tepals Spring crocus (photo taken at the famousCrocus Field at Inkpen, Berkshire)

Bieberstein's crocus

Montbretia Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora

A fairly frequent garden escape, this cultivar was firstpropagated in France and is now a common gardenplant. There are scattered records of it as a gardenthrow-out, eg at Brickfields, Wibner Pond, and at LittleKingshill. but it does not always survive very long. Mylatest record is from Clappins Lane in 2014. In 2009 aplant appeared in my garden, showing that it is capableof spreading by seed and is not totally reliant onprofligate gardeners.

Family: Amaryllidaceae 13.6Daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus ssp. pseudonarcissusAs a native this is a species of open woodland and grassland, especially in the Lake District and the Welsh Marches.It is unlikely to have been native to our area, but has been extensively planted for centuries and this is stilloccurring today. Specimens planted along roadsides, in churchyards etc are of this and different subspecies,including hybrids of pseudonarcissus with other species, and some developed from other species altogether (seebelow). Unlike many cultivars, our native daffodil will seed readily and gradually spread across grassland.Identification This is the archetypal daffodil; a single flower on each stem has a central deep yellow tube("corona" in botanical terms, more popularly "trumpet"), slightly expanding to its tip, and a ruff of six petal-liketepals, about as long as the corona, broad, overlapping and a paler yellow. The tepals are typically twisted andpointed slightly forwards. Across the ruff measures 6 to 7cm. Anything larger is a cultivar of a non-native sub-species major. The native only grows to 40cm in height, but some cultivars have extended it to about 60cm. Itnormally begins to flower just after the crocuses, ie towards the end of February (another folk name is "Lentenlily"), although during a mild winter it can be in flower by New Year's Day (eg 2016).Notable sites All specimens in our area have been planted, most relatively recently, and I have included under thisspecies any cultivar that accords with the description above - i.e. essentially indistinguishable from the true nativesub-species. There is one site, the field crossed by a footpath just to the west of Hampden House, where there isevidence that this species has been growing for over 50 years. Plants are scattered widely over the field and thusappear long-naturalised, although they are mixed with a few clumps of a taller cultivar. This daffodil meadow wasmost likely created to provide a colourful spring outlook for the Hampden family some centuries ago. Anotherlarge field, once a meadow, part of Idaho Farm, also has well-naturalised clumps and so, at least until the 1960s,did the large back lawn of Meadowcroft in Great Kingshill. Other than these three more natural sites, specimensof pseudonarcissus can be found in many churchyards and by roads throughout our area.Ecological associates They are visited by bumble-bees and set seed, although the main means of what limitedspread may occur is vegetative proliferation of bulbs or mechanical disturbance from horticulture spreading thebulbs. The flowers can also be attacked by the ubiquitous Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus, while the larvaeof several species of bumble-bee-like hoverfly, the "bulb-flies", can destroy the plants underground. Lesser andlarge bulb-flies Eumerus tuberculatus and Merodon equestris are both recorded, the latter quite frequently, butdo not appear to make an appreciable difference to the prevalence of daffodils generally, even if they mayoccasionally be a problem at the level of individual gardens. More recently a fly of the dung-fly family, Norelliaspinipes, has been introduced to this country from imported bulbs and may be found in spring resting on leaves orstems. Its larvae mine the leaves and may damage bulbs. Not yet recorded from our area, it has been foundnearby at Hughenden Manor. I have seen the male wing-waving fly Sepsis fulgens using daffodil heads in March asa platform to advertise to passing females, the black spots at its wing-tips very evident. Small muscid flies andfever-flies Dilophus febrilis (picture page 13.11) also use the flowers as a platform, and the crab spider Misumenavatia may lie in wait for them among the petals.Human associations There is something about the fresh colour and subtle scent that appears to be uplifting topeople and daffodils have always been one of the favourite spring flowers for cutting as interior decoration, aswell as growing in regimented rows along dual carriageways.Derivation "Daffodil" is derived from the Greek asphodelos, the related asphodel, a "d" having been added at thefront possibly for alliterative effect - it certainly gives the name a certain lilt that Wordsworth used effectively.The asphodels Asphodelus spp are Mediterranean plants related to Narcissus, which had various uses, such asmaking alcohol, gum, and a yellow dye. "Narcissus" is also from Greek, derived ultimately from narke "numbness",because of reputed narcotic properties. The bulbs contain emetic chemicals, once used in folk medicine in somecountries, and are poisonous to eat.

Wild daffodil - the true native species with typical coloration and twisting tepals

Daffodil cultivars 13.7A large variety of daffodils have been planted over time in fields and by roads, or have become naturalised fromdiscarded bulbs. The usual classification of daffodils used by the Royal Horticultural Society and commercialgrowers is rather a hotchpotch and far from scientific, but it does help to bring some degree of order to thechaos. There are 13 divisions:1. "Trumpet", with corona at least as long as the tepals (mostly derived from Narcissus pseudonarcissus ssp major)2. "Large-cupped", with corona shorter than tepals but more than one-third their length3. "Small (or short) -cupped", with corona less than one-third as long as the tepals4. "Flore pleno", with proliferating petals5. "Triandrus", derived from Narcissus triandrus (Angel's-tears) from SW Europe6. "Cyclamineus", derived from N. cyclamineus (Cyclamen-flowered daffodil) from Iberia7. "Jonquilla", derived from N. jonquilla (Jonquil) from Iberia8. "Tazetta", derived from N. tazetta (Bunch-flowered daffodil) from the Mediterranean region9. "Pheasant's-eye", derived from N. poeticus from S Europe10. "Hoop-petticoat", derived from N. bulbocodium from SW Europe11. "Split corona", with the trumpet variously divided into segments12. "Miscellaneous" - cultivars that do not fit anywhere else!!13. "Species" - original species not altered by hybridisation.These categories are not always used consistently by growers and, apart from the awkward "miscellaneous"division, what does one do, for instance, with a hybrid between N. jonquilla and N. tazetta?

Below I list the examples in each category as far as I have been able to discover examples in public placesor the wild in our area. So far I have tracked down 43 varieties, including the "wild" daffodil above, but there arecertainly more that could be added to the list, especially as new planting and garden escapes are continuing all thetime. My searches have so far been concentrated in Prestwood, Great and Little Hampden, Great Missenden andthe Kingshills. An invaluable aid to identification is the Key to selected daffodil cultivars likely to be found outsidegardens in Britain by Mick Crawley (www.bsbi.org.uk/daffodilkey.pdf), although checks also need to be made withpublished pictures easily available on the internet.

Division 1 "Trumpet"These are mostly large bold brassy in-your-face daffodils popular with local authority roadside planting schemesand they are common across our area. Plantings are dominated by 'Dutch Master' and 'Arctic Gold', with 'KingAlfred' and 'Mount Hood' also frequent. Others seen are 'Golden Harvest', 'Princeps', 'Ptolemy', 'Rijnveld'sEarly Sensation' and 'Unsurpassable'. Altogether they account for 27% of my observations so far (28 out of 103).

Dutch Master, Peterley Arctic Gold, Sports Centre King Alfred, Gt Missenden Mount Hood, Gt Hampden church

Golden Harvest, Gt Hampden Princeps, Peterley Ptolemy, Prestwood church Rijnveld's Early Sensation

Division 2 "Large-cupped" 13.8By far the most frequent of this group, and indeed of all the cultivars, is 'Ice Follies'. Others seen are 'Vulcan'(3), 'Fortune' (2), 'Lady Margaret Boscawen' (2), 'Pinza' (2), 'Ambergate', 'Canisp', 'Carlton', 'High Society','Kilworth', 'Salome', 'Shining Light', 'StKeverne' and 'Whitewell'. Altogether they form 22% of my observations.

Ice Follies, Prestwood Vulcan, Gt Hampden churchyard Fortune, Hampden House Lodge Lady Margaret Boscawen, Sports C.

Pinza, Westrick Walk Ambergate, Gt Missenden Kilworth StKeverne, Gt Missenden

Carlton in the middle ofSandwich Wood

High Society Shining Light Whitewell, Warrendene Road

Canisp Salome

Division 3 "Small-cupped" 13.9This group is dominated by 'Barrett Browning', with 'Rockall', 'Lucifer' and 'White Lady' occurring only once ortwice each. They form 10% of all my observations.

Barrett Browning, Gt Hampden Rockall, Little Kingshill Lucifer, Gt Missenden church White Lady, Gt Missenden

Division 4 "Flore pleno"Accounting for just over 15% of all records in our area, these flowers are the least daffodil-like of all, as theproliferation of petals obscures the simple daffodil form. Most common are 'Golden Ducat', 'Irene Copeland' and'Telamonius Plenus'. Others recorded once each are 'Acropolis', 'Bridal Crown', 'Tahiti', and 'White Lion'.

Golden Ducat, Wycombe Road Irene Copeland, Little Kingshill Telamonius Plenus, Gt Missenden Acropolis, Peterley Wood

Tahiti, Gt Missenden churchyard White Lion, Little Kingshill Bridal Crown, Gt Hampden

Division 5 "Triandrus" 13.10This group comprises cultivars from Narcissus triandrus (Angel's tears) with several flowers per head, shortcorolla and narrow reflexed tepals. The species is naturalised in grassland at Saville Gardens, Windsor. Just onemember of this division has been recorded locally - 'Ice Wings' beside Warrendene Road.

Narcissus triandrus growing in my garden Ice Wings, Warrendene Road

Division 6 "Cyclamineus"Cultivars of Narcissus cyclamineus, a very distinctive small daffodil with long narrow corolla and swept-back tepals.'February Gold' and 'Jetfire' are fairly frequent and there are single records of 'February Silver' and 'Jenny'.They comprise 11% of records to date. The species is naturalised in grassland at Saville Gardens, Windsor.

February Gold (taken at Kew) Jetfire, John Hampden Monument Jenny, Gt Missenden churchyard

Division 7 "Jonquilla" 13.11Derivatives of the Jonquil daffodil Narcissus jonquilla. Only one of our records falls within this category, 'Pipit'.The jonquil is a neat daffodil with a short cup and separated petals, usually with multi-flowered stems, althoughPipit is typically single-flowered.

Division 8 "Tazetta"Only one of the cultivars from Narcissus tazetta has been recorded in our area - 'Geranium'. N. tazetta is amultiple-flowered daffodil with white tepals and a short deep yellow corolla.

Division 9 "Pheasant's-eye"Narcissus poeticus is a distinctive daffodil with almost circular white tepals and a short yellow corolla with a redrim. The only cultivar in our area from this species (but also see under Division 13 below) is 'Cantabile', which isquite frequent. It occurs long-naturalised in a hay meadow off Stocking Lane with a number of scattered clumps.

'Pipit' in Great Hampden churchyard 'Geranium' at Little Kingshill 'Cantabile' naturalised in meadow by StockingLane (photo Nancy Hussey)

Division 10 "Hoop-petticoat"No cultivars of this division have so far been found inour area. Narcissus bulbocodium is a distinct daffodilwith large trumpet-shaped corolla and small narrowtepals. It is naturalised in grassland in Saville Gardens,Windsor.

Fever-flies using 'Cantabile' as mating platform (photo Nancy Hussey)

Division 11 "Split corona" 13.12Of this group of cultivars only 'Cassata' has been discovered so far in our area. Like the flore pleno group, theysuffer from obscuring the simplicity of the daffodil form, which is its especial grace.

Division 12 "Miscellaneous"Just two of our "wild" daffodils fall here - the diminutive 'Tête-à-tête', which is frequent in gardens, and'Quince', both at one site only.

'Cassata', Little Kingshill 'Tête-à-tête', Prestwood

Division 13 "Species"Six records are for "pure" species. Three of these are Narcissus poeticus, which was recorded in 2003 in thefield between Stocking Lane and Chalkpit Wood, between Naphill and Hughenden, said by the recorder TrevorHussey to be an old introduction by the farmer Arthur Fleet. It was recorded in 2010 at Hughenden, and, asvariety recurvus , in 2013 in scrub near Prestwood Sports Centre. Narcissus radiiflorus, once classified as avariety of poeticus, grows in Great Hampden churchyard. Narcissus minor has been recorded in Prestwood andGreat Missenden parish churchyard.

Narcissus poeticus recurvus Narcissus minor

Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis 13.13Although it may appear native where itforms extensive colonies in woodland, thesnowdrop is an introduction from mainlandEurope, long established in a few places,but mostly quite recent garden escapesand throw-outs along roadsides, orplanted in public places such aschurchyards, throughout our area. It iswelcome as one of our first flowers of theyear (although often preceded by certainmore reclusive, less showy, natives likespurge-laurel and green hellebore). Theearliest local record for flowering in 2015was 16 January, in 2014 24th; earlyFebruary was more typical in earlieryears.Identification The white flowers havethree longer outer tepals and three innerones tipped green. The leaves are linear,not usually more than 1cm wide, andglaucous above.Notable sites Long-established at LittleHampden in the wooded edge of theformer common (where it was firstrecorded in 1986 but probably precedesthat by some decades), in the oldchurchyard at Great Missenden, where itis abundant, and in the path to the pondby the garden centre in Prestwood.Ecological associates No galls or leaf-mines known. Can be pollinated by earlybees and disseminate seed, but probablyspread mostly by producing new bulbletsand having their bulbs scattered by humandisturbance. On 17 February 2018 a SmallTortoiseshell was seen nectaring on agarden snowdrop in Prestwood. It was asunny day but the temperature only 2°C!Human associations There seem to be notraditional folk uses, the plant havingbeen popular with cottage gardeners forcenturies for its early flowering, while itspopularity in churchyards no doubt hassomething to do with white symbolisingpurity.Derivation "Snow-drop" is a clear and aptdescription; the generic name derivesfrom the Greek gala "milk", the specificname being Latin for "snowy".Varieties The "double" variety 'florepleno', which is often sold, occurs quitefrequently, for instance in the verges ofGreen, Nairdwood and Peterley Lanes,Great Missenden churchyard, and on thewest side of Prestwood Parish Church.

Snowdrops by Nairdwood Lane

Snowdrops in Great Missenden churchyard

'Flore pleno'

13.14Green snowdrop Galanthus woronowiiGarden escape brought from the Aegean,established in a few places, such as LawrenceGrove. It spreads readily in my garden. "Green"refers to the upperside of the leaves, which arenot glaucous as in Galanthus nivalis. The leavesare slightly wider and the flowers slightly largerthan nivalis.

Greater snowdrop Galanthus elwesiiAnother garden escape from SE Europe recordedat three sites - Hangings Lane, Widmere Field (ona pile of garden rubbish), and Peterley Wood. Theleaves differ from nivalis in being not so straight-sided, broader in the middle, and at least one wellover 1cm wide. The flowers may be slightly largerand the inner tepals sometimes have a green patchat the base as well as the tip.

Pleated snowdrop Galanthus plicatusssp. plicatusThis is another garden throw-out from SE Europefound near the north entrance to Widmere Field.Its distinctive feature is the leaves having upwardfolds either side of the midrib, the edges foldeddown when young.

Green snowdrop

Greater snowdrop

Pleated snowdrop

13.15Summer snowflake Leucojum aestivum ssp. pulchellumThis plant from the West Mediterranean is often planted in gardens and can occur as a garden escape. There is ananonymous record from the late 1960s from Cockshoots Wood. The snowflakes are closely related to thesnowdrops but all six tepals are of equal length, giving the flowers more of a bell shape, and there are two or moreflowers per stem. Subspecies aestivum is native and also known as Loddon lily because it is mainly concentrated insites along the River Loddon in Berkshire, where it can grow in large colonies. The native species has slightlylarger flowers and the two sharp edges of its stems are slightly toothed towards the base. It is known as"summer" snowflake, even though it flowers in the spring, to differentiate it from a similar garden plant whichflowers from January onwards and has thus usurped the name Spring snowflake. The latter sometimes occurs asan escape but has not been recorded in our area.

Summer snowflake (taken at Kew) Loddon lily, Sandford Mill, River Loddon

Ramsons or Wild Garlic Allium ursinumSpecies of Allium, the onions and garlics, are sometimes separated as Family Alliaceae, but are currentlysubmerged into the Amaryllidaceae. They all differ from other members of this family by their distinct "onion"smell. Ramsons is native to our area, growing in damp woods, although near houses it is most likely to be a gardenescape. With the wind in the right direction there is no doubt you are approaching a colony of garlic even beforeyou see it.Identification Apart from the smell, this plant is characterised by clumps of broad flat leaves on long stalks androunded heads of many star-like white flowers in late spring. It forms dense patches by proliferation of the bulbs.Notable sites Large colonies occur in the woods (Longrove Plantation, Theeds Wood) above Hughenden and haveevery appearance of being native. They were well established as far back as 1961. Another large colony growsaround Keepershill Wood Pond, but, close to the road and opposite a large country house, so that it may have itsorigin in garden throw-outs. The growing patch at the north corner of Peterley Wood certainly is of garden origin,being much more substantial now than when I first recorded the plant there in 1996 and not noted in earliersurveys of the wood. It grows extensively along London Road south of Great Missenden.Ecological associates One smut occurs on ramsons and causes distorted bulbs and leaves, but it has not beenrecorded locally and is nationally scarce. Four or five leaf-miners are recorded, but are not common and only oneof the flies, Chromatomyia horticola, is known locally, and only from mines on other plants. The rust Pucciniasessilis is recorded locally (on Arum) and may occur on ramsons (its chief host). Patches of ramsons are usuallyfree of other plants, but in the Hughenden woods and elsewhere it grows in close relation to dog's mercury (seepicture). The smell of garlic (all Allium species) is off-putting to many insects and may be a natural means ofwarding off attack (made use of by hikers to discourage mosquitoes, with what success I do not know).Human associations Large colonies of wild garlic make themselves felt and it was no wonder that they often gaverise to local names in Anglo-Saxon times ("Rams-"), especially given their use as a mild form of garlic, useful as

13.16salad leaves, in cookery and in folk medicine. They are still collected by many people to this day and I regularlygather the leaves in spring for salads. The chef at the Nags Head, Great Missenden, collects the leaves fromnearby London Road, and they are also collected from local woods by the chef of the Cock and Rabbit at The Lee."Wild garlic" crops up quite regularly in modern dining establishments. After flowering the leaves quickly rot awayand so it does little harm to collect them in moderation.Derivation Ramsons (in some parts of the country "rams") is currently the approved name botanically, but locallypeople are much more likely to use "wild garlic". The Anglo-Saxon term was hramsa, related ultimately to anancient word for onion represented in Greek by kromuon "onion". It may even derive from the same root as theSanskrit ghranam "smell". "Garlic" is a composite word from the Anglo-Saxon gar "spear" (from the supposedlyspear-shaped cloves of a garlic bulb) and leac "leek", similar to other Germanic words for "leek".

Ramsons (growing with dog's mercury)

Three-cornered garlic (or leek) Allium triquetrumThis west Mediterranean plant has been long naturalised in the south-west of the country (Cornwall and Devon),where it grows exuberantly along most roadsides and is know locally as "White bluebell". It may have been fromthere that the plant has been introduced into some local gardens - much to the owner's regret when it spreadsinexorably and is almost impossible to eradicate! Three-cornered Garlic is listed under Schedule 9 to the Wildlifeand Countryside Act 1981 as an invasive plant and it is an offence to plant it or cause it to grow in the wild.Identification A small spray of pendant white bell-flowers with a green midrib to each tepal grows on a three-cornered stem from which it gets its name, both in English and Latin. The abundant leaves are reminiscent ofbluebell, but the garlic smell on crushing identifies it as an Allium. It flowers from spring right through June,while the leaves survive much longer.Notable sites It is well-established and spreading, unfortunately, in my own garden! It has also been recorded onthe bank by Nairdwood Lane that faces Lodge Lane, by the Sheepwash pond, and in Kiln Common CommunityOrchard, where it was planted by a neighbour who also had it growing in his garden. All these are recent records(2009 or later) and it remains to be seen whether it becomes established. Mabey (1996) states that he "found itin a hedge-bank in the Chilterns in 1995."Ecological associates Probably as for ramsons, above. Clapham, Tutin & Warburg (1962) state that the seeds aredispersed by ants, attracted by an oil secreted by an appendage to the seed. The bulbs proliferate vegetatively,however, and this is probably the main means of spread.Human associations Like ramsons, the leaves have been used as a mild substitute for garlic, although care must betaken to avoid similar-looking bluebell or daffodil leaves that sometimes grow amongst clumps of Allium.

13.17

Three-cornered garlic

Rosy garlic Allium roseumAnother Mediterranean import, rosy garlic occurs occasionally as a garden escape, mostly in the south-west ofBritain.Identification Umbels of rose-pink flowers distinguish this attractive garlic. It often has reddish bulbils amongstthe flowers, which eventually drop off and easily get dispersed, becoming clones of the original plant.Notable sites It spreads readily in my garden. Alan Showler recorded it in 2010 in a field by Provost Wood, andin 2014 I saw it growing by the main road in Speen.Ecological associates Flowers frequently visited by meadow bumble-bees Bombus pratorum.

Rosy garlic

13.18Chives Allium schoenoprasumI found a flowering plant of this familiar culinary herb beside the Sheepwash Pond in 2008, but it did not survive,requiring warmer more calcareous bare soil than exists at that site. But in 2017 I also discovered it havingescaped from a flower-bed at the Polecat Inn into the gravel car-park, where conditions will probably suit itbetter. I am not sure why it acquired a plural form, as the original term was chive, derived from an old Frenchword (it was probably introduced to herb gardens by the Normans, although it grows as a British native on a fewsea-cliffs). The Norman word derived from the Latin cepa "onion". The rounded leaves and dense globular purpleflower-heads are quite distinctive.

Chives, growing at one of its natural stations near Tintagel, Cornwall

[Hairy garlic Allium subhirsutumYet another Mediterranean import, this is another species that might eventually be found in the wild in our area.It was introduced in my garden and is spreading. Somewhat like three-cornered garlic it has sprays of whiteflowers with no bulbils, but the stems are rounded and the leaves have long patent hairs at the edges.]

Hairy garlic

13.19[Few-flowered garlic Allium paradoxumAlthough not yet recorded in our area, few-flowered garlic is known from several places not far away. Some of thebest colonies of this plant in Britain are in the Chilterns area - including Maidenhead Thicket and the churchyardat Drayton Beauchamp. As garlics go it is a somewhat sorry-looking plant, the umbels of flowers being few-flowered indeed, down to sometimes bearing a single flower, although it makes up for this in places where it islong-established by its sheer abundance. The flowers are mixed with bulbils that are a major means of spread.

Few-flowered garlic

Few-flowered garlic, Maidenhead Thicket