New Flora of Sussex

Autumn 2007

Thanks again to everyone who has

contributed so far and especially to

new SBRS members.

Post 2000 records - totals as of 10-03-2006

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

4700

4800

4900

5000

5100

5200

5300

5400

5500

5600

5700

5800

5900

6000

6100

>400 records 300 - 400 records 200 - 300 records

100-200 records 50 - 100 records

March 2006

Post 2000 records - totals as of 04-03-2007

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

4700

4800

4900

5000

5100

5200

5300

5400

5500

5600

5700

5800

5900

6000

6100

>400 records 300 - 400 records 200 - 300 records

100-200 records 50 - 100 records

March 2007

Post 2000 records - totals as of 30-10-2007

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

4700

4800

4900

5000

5100

5200

5300

5400

5500

5600

5700

5800

5900

6000

6100

>400 records 300 - 400 records 200 - 300 records

100-200 records 50 - 100 records

Now

A bit more detail

We now have 207,900 records on the computer, up by over 38,000 ( from 169,600 ) in early March 2007.

Still some 2007 records to add - will give further 2007 update at AGM

Totals for tetrads (Figures in blue are for March 2007)

10 have >400 records ( 4 )

132 have 300 to 400 ( 90 )

395 have 200 to 300 ( 300 )

32 have < 50 records ( 141 )

This means that only 3% of tetrads now have < 50 records (i.e. have not yet had a visit)

Interesting & important native records in 2007

Lotus subbiflorus First ever Sussex record

Wolffia arrhiza Unusually large amounts on Pevensey Levels

Sibthorpia europaea Refound in 3 places at Heathfield Park

Himantoglossum hircinum A single plant S of Lewes

Note: Images shown at meeting removed to reduce file save for acceptable download time

Crassula tillaea 2nd W.Sussex site

Lotus angustissimus Not seen since 1932, found in 4 places inW.Sussex in 2007

Ranunculus tripartitus or possibly R. x novae-forestae. New site in East Sussex

Dactylorhiza x transiens with masses of both parents (D. fuchsii & D. ericetorum)1st confirmed Sussex record

Interesting alien records in 2007

Scorpiurus muricatus First W.Sussex record

Amaranthus deflexus First Sussex record

Cerinthe major 3 records but no previous Sussex records

Lepidium virginicum First post 1970 Sussex record

Sedum sexangulare First Sussex record

Sisymbrium irio Only recent Sussex record

Trifolium resupinatum Rarely seen, appears establishednear Sovereign Harbour

Angelica archangelica First recent Sussex record, found on 1st 2007 SBRS meeting

Note: Images shown at meeting removed to reduce file save for acceptable download time

A very old new record - Cystopteris diaphana

C.diaphana was only confirmed as a UK species in 2005 after being found on a river bank in Devon.

Recent work by Fred Rumsey (see Watsonia, August 2007) has unearthed a herbarium specimen for it at Harrisons Rocks near Tunbridge Wells collected before 1715!

It is actually mentioned at this locality in Wolley Dod but was thought to be an odd form of Cystopteris fragilis.

Access - a problem tetrad (TQ63I)This tetrad (NE of Bells Yew Green) has almost no public access. If anyone might be able to help to arrange access please let us know.

Queries on identification

• Species which are frequently mis-identified (e.g. Hyacinthoides hispanica)

• Records that don't conform to an established pattern of distribution, habitat etc., e.g. Glaucium flavum c. 10km from the sea. This was correct (it was on dumped shingle), but this often shows up errors.

• When a rare species is recorded but a similar, common one is not

If something is odd & you have checked make a note on the record card.

Where there is any doubt we put records on hold until they can be confirmed.

To assist in getting confirmation of an unusual record contact us at the time you find it - don't wait until the end of

the year to tell us.

Thank you for answering our questions on identification.Some reasons for queries:

Grid references etc.

1. Mis-reading certain numbers from the GPS. (e.g. mixing up 0, 3 and 8).

Note: the display brightness/contrast on the commonly used eTrex GPS can be adjusted - there is no need to put up with a very pale or very dark display which is hard to read.

Errors in grid references, especially GPS are not uncommon.

The main problems are:

2. Missing out numbers from the grid ref. creating an invalid GR.

A quick check is to count the digits - all valid grid references have an even number of digits.

If you can, check your grid refs do lie in the tetrad you think you recorded. If they don't then there may be an error in one or more of the digits or perhaps you strayed out of the tetrad!

Ranunculus ficaria sub species

There are 2 common sub species of Ranunculus ficaria :

Ranunculus ficaria subsp ficaria and Ranunculus ficaria subsp. bulbilifer

They are differentiated by the presence of bulbils in the leaf axils of subsp. bulbilifer but these only appear at the end of flowering.

This means that we have been recording subsp ficaria too early with the result that it is over-recorded and subsp. bulbilifer is under-recorded.

Therefore, if you are recording R.ficaria before or during its flowering period and you cannot find bulbils, you should record it as Ranunculus ficaria with no sub species (code 1649 on the cards).

If you do find bulbils then it's OK to record subsp. bulbilifer at any time.

To record subsp ficaria reliably, you must wait until the flowers are going over and if there are no bulbils then you have subsp ficaria.

Q: Who has identified Ranunculus ficaria subsp. bulbilifer before mid April?A: No-one, because there are no bulbils. However we do have a number of records for subsp ficaria from earlier in the year.

2008 - initial thoughts

Take no. of records in all tetrads to over 150

We will be asking people to target specific tetrads - please tell us if there are some you'd like to tackle

Fill in gaps in distribution of common species, especially those with limited flowering period.

Details and maps (e.g. Alopecurus pratensis, Cardamine pratensis, Ranunculus ficaria) will be published in the January 2008 Newsletter.

Greatly reduce the number of scarce species records not seen since 2000. Currently there are ~975 of these from the Sussex Scarce Register. Around 100 are unlikely to be refound which still leaves well over 800.

We'd like to ask people to "adopt" specific species or areas.

Alopecurus pratensis

77 9 1 2 3 4 6

5

8 95

3

2

1

9

4

8

TRTQ

SZ

SU

TV

Ranunculus ficaria

77 9 1 2 3 4 6

5

8 95

3

2

1

9

4

8

TRTQ

SZ

SU

TV

Species maps - some examplesRanunculus ficaria

Alopecurus pratensis

Thanks again for all you have done

Any questions?