Crowhurst fields

Overgrown path, with Foxgloves and Marsh Thistle. 

Crowhurst in East Sussex is a straggling, inarticulate sort of village but it's also a kind of land unto itself. It wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say that the whole unvisited region bounded by the main roads linking Battle, Bexhill and St Leonards is in a broad sense "Crowhurst country". (A bit like "the Brightling country", the empty quarter west of Battle and Robertsbridge, named after a village whose actual existence, on Google Maps, comes as something of a surprise.)

Here are some plants I saw on a family walk, mainly through arable fields. I was with Annika, Jay, Nick, Tash, Mir, Barry, Finn and Sigrid. We walked from Crowhurst Park to the Plough, where Mum and Dad joined us and we had an excellent lunch.

"Crowhurst country".

Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

As we walked along I started noticing this little buttercup here and there on the path. It turned out to be Ranunculus sardous (Hairy Buttercup), an uncommon species with a very south-easterly distribution in the British Isles. Distribution-wise it's basically a Mediterranean plant.

Reflexed sepals, hairy all over. Not found in Sweden.  

Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Reflexed sepals of Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Hairy stems, buds and leaves of Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Marsh Cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024. 

The Hairy Buttercup was growing alongside Marsh Cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum, Sw: Sumpnoppa), so I guess it's normally pretty damp on this path, though happily not on the day we were there. 

Ranunculus sardous and Gnaphalium uliginosum. Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

A mystery plant. One of those casuals on arable land that I usually ignore, especially when there's only one of them and it looks like it might be of garden origin. 

Anyway, the thread-like leaves suggest a robust mayweed chamomile Anthemis kind of thing, but the crowded rays are more suggestive of a Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum). Rhodanthemum hosmariense from the Atlas Mountains came up on Google Lens -- but no, just no.

Four-seeded pod of Smooth Tare (Vicia tetrasperma). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Smooth Tare (Vicia tetrasperma aka Ervum tetraspermum).  I couldn't manage to take a clear photo of the little flowers, but I was more successful with this pod, showing why the species is called "tetrasperma". 

British Isles: throughout England and the lowland parts of Wales, more scattered in Scotland and Ireland. 

The Swedish name is Sparvvicker ("Sparrow Vetch"). Common in southern and central Sweden, occasional further north. 

The English name naturally recalls the Parable of the Tares:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. ....

(Matthew 13:24-26)

The point of the parable depends on the tares being difficult to detect when young. Evidently these biblical tares were a grass contaminant of wheat fields. Probably darnel (Lolium temulentum), whose sowing in crop fields was a crime in Roman law. Flour containing even a small amount of darnel was worthless, because darnel is apt to be infected by a fungus that renders it toxic.

Why little vetches like this one came to be called "tares" I don't know. They do like arable fields, but I've never read that they're considered a serious pest.

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii). Crowhurst,  27 June 2024.

Passing through a small wood at this point....  Annika found this pretty orchid. 

Swedish name: Skogsnycklar. 

Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Bittersweet aka Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara).... a snaking vine descending from quite high in the canopy.

Swedish name: Besksöta. It grows as far north as Medelpad. 

Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis). Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis) beside the path, snapped as we were filing through a tunnel walkway under the railway line.

A traditional medicinal herb, with components that reduce blood sugar. Study of those components led to the development of metformin, a mainstream treatment for type 2 diabetes. 

Native to southern Europe, introduced in the British Isles and Sweden.

Swedish name: Getruta. Like the English name it's a translation of the pre-Linnaean Latin name Ruta capraria. 

Scented Mayweed/ German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita).Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

Anyway, speaking of chamomile.....

A huge and fragrant expanse of Scented Mayweed (Matricaria recutita), also known as German Chamomile. 

Though this is not the species that older books call Chamomile, it is the one that's now most often used for chamomile tea. 

It's all very confusing, and recent name changes don't help. For my own benefit, here's a list of the main chamomile/mayweed species. 

(All have feathery dissected leaves, unlike e.g. Oxeye Daisy.)

1. Matricaria recutita also known as Matricaria chamomilla. English: Scented Mayweed, German Chamomile. Swedish: Kamomill, Sötblomster ("Sweet Flower"). Fragrant annual. Locally common in England and Wales; common in southern and central Sweden. Prefers sandy soils, so I never see it around Frome. It's used to make chamomile tea.

2. Chamaemelum nobile, formerly Anthemis nobilis. English: Chamomile, Roman Chamomile. Swedish: Romersk kamomill. Fragrant perennial. A similar but more prostrate, creeping plant of dry sandy commons. In Britain it's frequent but decreasing; I think it's only a garden escape in Sweden. This is the species you need if you want to make a chamomile lawn. It's also used to make chamomile tea. Valued in traditional medicine since the Middle Ages; it was "noble" because it was considered superior to 1 from the therapeutic point of view.

3. Tripleurospermum inodorum, until recently considered the same species as 4 and named T. maritimum ssp. inodorum. The older name Tripleurospermum perforatum still shows up sometimes. English: Scentless Mayweed. Swedish: Baldersbrå ("Balder's Brow"). Common annual in both the British Isles and Sweden. Scentless. Looks similar to 1 but the rays don't bend back so quickly. 

4. Tripleurospermum maritimum, until recently considered the same species as 3 and named T. maritimum ssp. maritimum. English: Sea Mayweed. Swedish: Kustbaldersbrå. A coastal species, similar in appearance to 3 but with fleshier leaves and often red stems. Smells faintly of chamomile. 

5. Anthemis cotula. English: Stinking Chamomile. Swedish: Kamomillkulla or Surkulla. Looks similar to 1 and 3, but smells unpleasant (fetid) and has scales on inner florets. Local on clay soils in S England; very rare in Sweden.

6. Matricaria discoidea, formerly  matricarioides and suaveolens. English: Pineappleweed. Swedish: Gatkamomill ("Street Chamomile"). Introduction from N America. Very common annual in British Isles and Sweden, especially on paths and tracks. This one is unmistakable as it has no ray-florets. Smells of pineapple. 

Scented Mayweed/ German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita).Crowhurst, 27 June 2024.

By now it was getting hot. Tash and Sigrid had adorned their hair with sprigs of campion and cinquefoil. We had passed the wooden crocodile and the wooden gorilla, seizing the usual photo opportunities. Barry went on ahead to collect Mum and Dad. Finn and I raced to get to the pub first. Drinks were soon flowing!

Our food order, with pictures by me, Sigrid and Tash.