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September 2003 Newsletter

Plant hunting for softies :- Monte Baldo

by Les Brown

Being short of time for holidays and not being very fit, means that when we do go looking for wild flowers, we need to spend as little time and effort as possible in getting to them. We also like to spend some of the short time available to us in relaxing and sightseeing.
With this in mind we have twice been to Malcesine on Lake Garda in Italy and can recommend it as a place where you can have a holiday and see an excellent range of mountain flowers.
Lake Garda is a very large lake, wide at the southern end and narrow with steep sided mountains at the northern end. Malcesine is an ideal base as it is served by a number of package operators and has the only easily accessible cable car up onto the Monte Baldo.
The first time we went we stayed in the centre at a hotel which was a bit noisy, but on the second visit we stayed slightly away from the centre at the International, which I can recommend. Malcesine is a nice picturesque town dominated by the castle, with lots of bars and restaurants down by the harbour in which to indulge in the Italian national pastime of people watching.
To get to the flowers one can take the cable car up to the top. It is possible to walk, but is very steep, and I am told, a seven hour slog. I have walked part way up from the lower station but it is more feasible to walk down through the woods.
Both of our visits have been in late June, early July, and the first flower I saw after crossing the gravel from the cable car station was Nigritella nigra (Black Vanilla Orchid) good start!
The Monte Baldo consists of a ridge rising in the South and running North towards the Brenta Dolomites and is chiefly limestone and gives rise to a number of localised specialities. The Lake Garda area is well know as the prime site for Daphne petrea. I have not seen it on the Monte Baldo. It's main locations being on the other side of the lake a few miles back and needing more time and effort than we had. The slopes at the northern end of Lake Garda are too steep for walking up. If you feel brave a hire car would expand your boundaries considerably. The Dolomites only being a couple of hours drive northwards.
Upon leaving the cable car turning left is the shorter walk (which most trippers take) this is a flat path, which terminates in a nice view north towards Riva del Garda. The path continues steeply down at this point and runs along some steep sharp ridges which is fine for the less faint hearted than me. The obvious option is then to return to the cable car, and that is all most people see.
Investigate the slopes either side, the east and west slopes have different floras. Interesting plants seen on this short walk include, Orchids tridentate (Toothed Orchid), Gymnadenia albida (Small White Orchid), Campanula barbataand some Gentiana acaulis Gp in seed. Being of modest altitude, (approx 2000m) a number of early species are over at this time of year. A clump of Lilium martagon was just coming into flower in a damp hollow on the shady slope whilst on the sunny slope, just under the cable car, Lilium bulbiferum was in full flower.

Campanula barbata	Gymnadenia odoratissima

Turning right from the cable car gives you the option to climb a little higher and get away from the crowds. This takes you into a reserve area, where the first Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) was seen. A nice compact clump, sharing space with Saxifraga paniculata and Globularia cordifolia. Further Saxifrages seen were, S caesia and a S callosa type not yet in flower. Gentiana punctata, Clematis alpina, Coeloglossum viride (Frog Orchid) and my favourite find Gymnadenia odoratissima (Short - Spurred Fragrant Orchid). I found a large swathe of this vanilla scented fragrant orchid, in a variety of shades of pink through to white. Higher up some large rocks were clothed with cascades of Drayas octopetala and Daphne cneorum. On the way back down I came across a large area, where woven in the grass, were the leaves of several hundred Callianthemun coriandrifolium, many with seeds. Many other of the more obvious mountain species were seen but I have restrained from commenting on them.
Going back in the cable car I peered below me as the ground rushed by. Looking, in vain for Cypripedium calceolus (Ladies Slipper Orchid), said to be growing there. However, in a walk from the lower cable car station I did see Cyclamen repundum and a fair selection of butterflies including Swallowtail and a Crested Tit.
Pausing just to watch the local pair of Black Kites wheeling lazily over Malcesine it was time to soak the feet and have a beer and a Pizza.
The slopes at the northern end of Lake Garda are too steep for walking up. If you feel brave a hire car would expand your boundaries considerably. The Dolomites being a couple of hours drive northwards……..
Les Brown.

Following Botanical Footsteps in Search of Erodiums atlanticum and cossonii.

by Charles Aitcheson
In 2000 David Tattersfield and I followed up Prof. G. Guittonneau`s and J. Mathez`s paper
" Erodium cossonii sp. nov. in Bulletin de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles et Physiques du Maroc ". We confirmed the continuing presence of Erodium atlanticum in its classical locality on Jebel Ourgouz above Imi n`Tanoute and I remarked that as the erodium was there it might also be found in some of the other valleys extending south of the town into the north western High Atlas.

The opportunity to explore further arose when Hamish Brown invited me to join him again with four others. Perhaps we could find J. Hooker`s and J. Ball`s 1871 other site of E. atlanticum in the Seksawa region and Ibrahim Ammeribt`s 1883 sites of E. cossonii on Jebel Aziwel or Jebel Tichka (Touchka)?

On 30th May the six of us left Marrakech in a land-rover plus driver for eleven days walking and camping. Leaving the road near Imi n`Tanoute we zig-zagged south east. Following the Assif (river) Seksawa at times, up and down into the mountains we passed the shrine of the Saint Lalla Aziza. Unusual weather patterns had brought thunderstorms in May and given a bountiful harvest to the high slope barley fields, which patterned the landscape.

We pitched our tents on Jebel Tabgourt, 3,206 m. near a stream.The road map ( "World Map", World Country Map 1:800,000, Morocco, GeoCenter ) names Jebel Tabgourt as "Jebel Tichka 3,205 m." and names a tizi (pass) to the north east as "Tizi n`Tabgourt", whereas the 1/100,000 map gives that name to a 2,666 m. tizi to the south east and names a 2,428 m. ridge twenty eight km. south west "Jebel Tichka". At six am we were following the stream for the summit. The craggy top revealed an all round panorama of high hills and in its crevices the lovely Matthiola scapifera was in full bloom. We came down to porridge and were quickly off in the land-rover.

For some time the piste followed a high plateau and the only vehicles we encountered were mining lorries. Descending the south facing slopes we passed mines and mine workers buildings on route to Afensou and the Assif Sembal, which changes its name downstream to Assif Seksawa. In the Atlas mountains rivers take the names of the tribes, whose territories they pass through. At Afensou we were in the Haut Seksawa, here our driver left us and we met our mules and muleteers.

In the cool of early morning and shade of walnut trees we were off down river to Aguersafene at the confluence of Assif Sembal and Assif Gourion. We left the river and crossed a shoulder into a valley leading to the village of Ikis and camped in woodland shade by a stream on the north side of jagged ridged Jebel Ikis, 3,183 m.

The summit of Jebel Ikis was our target next morning as we toiled up the slope to Tizi-n`- Mgayed, 2,513 m. and on up the shoulder of Ikis. Rounding a rocky ridge we became aware that further progress on that route required ropes and climbing gear, for precipitous ravines split the crest into three increasingly high summits. Not for us, we returned to the tizi and the path down to the Assif Ait Gassa and the village of Issouqaln.

Until that day the only plants of the geranium family we had seen were numerous Erodium cicutarium plants and Geraniums pusillum and pyrenaicum, but as we approached the village we found several erodiums. Growing on shaly soil on a south facing bank, at an altitude of 2,200 m., they were either E. atlanticum or E. cossonii. I photographed a plant and picked an umbel of developing seed for later identification. This was to be my procedure for any further encounters.

The following morning a kilometre and a half downstream from Issouqaln we came to a gorge with an irrigation channel built along the cliff. The stone and turf wall of the channel seeped water and in the damp shade grew more of the erodiums.

The path now left the river and in company with a some locals we went up the hillside and over a 2,042 m. tizi into the valley of Assif Ait Tiksit. The locals were gathering to extend a piste further up the valley. It looked hard mattock and shovel work, with donkeys and mules to carry soil and rocks. We camped on a shoulder with views back down the valley and glimpses up a rocky ravine we would ascend next morning. During the afternoon I explored the hillside above camp but found no erodiums although I did find Meadow Saxifrages and Harebells.

The mule trail over the shoulder descended into a steep ravine of granite cliffs and shattered rock. The walls drew closer and there were a few snow patches in shaded gulleys. The vegetation changed, no longer the colourful altimontane spiny shrubs but plants of shady places, Daphne laureola, Draba hederifolia, Myosotis alpestris and cushions of white silenes. Where we emerged at 3,007 m. from the Tizi Agourzi on to the northern rim of the Tichka Plateau the granite crevices were adorned with the pink and white flowers of Leucanthemum atlanticum.

The Tichka Plateau is a huge wedge shaped upland area rimmed by peaks rising as high as 3,382 m. along its north and south rims. The Assif Nfis` source is on the narrow western end of the plateau above 3,000 m. and the river runs east along the plateau, dropping to 1,500 m. at Ijoukak, where it emerges after running through a gorge below Jebel Igdat 3,616 m. and passes Jebel Erdouz 3,579 m. and Jebel Gourza 3,280 m. The last two mountains were explored by British botanists ; Erdouz by Dr. Seligman and E.K. Balls in 1936 and by J. Archibald in 1962 and Gourza by J. Hooker and J. Ball in 1871. E.K. Balls and Jim Archibald found E.cossonii on the north west slope of Erdouz. All three mountains drain to the lower Nfis. The specimens ( originally labelled E.atlanticum ) are in the herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, as are two others ; "1973 P. & J. Davis, side of Tizi n` Test, 2,100m." and " 1974 Reading University / British Museum Expedition, Tizi n` Test, 1,900 m., 4km. towards Taroudannt. " The first of those localities drains to the Nfis and the latter to the Souss. The two sites David and I found in 1993 also drain into the Nfis.

The early summer rains had refreshed the land and provided fodder for flocks and herds in the valleys, so none had been taken up onto the adrar (high pastures). Our view south was shades of green, knee high grasses and wildflowers. The darkest green areas were wet flushes rich in species, including myriads of tiny pale bluish-white gentians Gentiana atlantica. The silence was broken by calls of quail in the vegetation and alpine choughs overhead.

Not far from Tizi Agourzi was a south facing slope of granite boulders and gravel about a hundred metres wide and long. It held many beautiful clumps of Erodium cheilanthifolium in full bloom. Their foliage ranged from greyish- purples to greens in the shadier, damper areas. Away from the erodiums the spiny cushions of blue Erinacea anthyllis dominated. There are occasional white flowered plants of the erinacea and here one had unusual pink flowers. Before heading down to camp we walked and scrambled east along the line of summits before turning south west for Amendach`s 3,382 m. top. We followed the stream down, the grassy banks held thousands of Hoop Petticoat Daffodils, Narcissus bulbocodium in seed with a few late flowers. We pitched our tents on a bed of Erodium cicutarium and went to sleep to a chorus of frogs.

I had the next day to photograph plants and butterflies while the others walked the south rim summits, which I had done in 1991. We met late for supper at the far west end of the plateau, camped at 2,900 m. by the infant Nfis near a bank of lush Geranium pyrenaicum. So we did not see until the morning what else was nearby.

Rising early we crossed a barley field and started climbing an area of boulders and cliffs of a grey, hard slaty rock with outcrops of white marble. This extended about 500m x 500m. on both sides of the Nfis, facing south east and south west. Growing in it were over a thousand large erodium plants in full flower. Most were pink with dark marking on their upper two petals, a few were darker pink with larger flowers, one was white with yellow anthers and another was white with pale pink markings on the upper petals and pink anthers. This latter plant, unlike the rest, held its flowers horizontal and not vertical.

Four of us with our longstanding Berber friend and guide and one of the muleteers, who had once been a shepherd in these mountains, set out with bivouac bags and food for two days to climb a mountain off the plateau to the north west. Moulay Ali 3,349 m. is the north end of a steep ridge and commands several river valleys running north west to the Ait Haddou Youssef lands. Four and a half kilometres south is the Tizi Igdal giving access to the Medlawa valley and beyond to the Souss and Taroudannt.

Prof. Guittonneau records Cosson`s writings stating that Ibrahim Ammeribt mentions "Ait-Adouyouz", "tizi-Idgal, un peu a l`Est d`une cote ( summit) 3,340 m" and a mountain "j. Aziwel ". Over the years the names and places on the maps of villages and mountains have often changed. I think it is probable that this Moulay Ali (there is also another lower Moulay Ali 2,845 m. six km. south east) could be the earlier Jebel Aziwel. Certainly in 1991 we found erodiums at Tagmout and Amghlou in the Medlawa valley. At the time not knowing of the existence of E. cossonii David and I thought they were E. atlanticum, but we did not take any seed or specimens.

There is no record of any successful attempts to climb Moulay Ali by the ridge, which connects it to the main ridge above the Medlawa valley and our guide and muleteer had no knowledge of any shepherds succeeding either as there is not enough vegetation to make it worthwhile to take sheep or goats on to that part of the mountain. We would have to descend 1,000m. from the Tizi Oumzra`s 3,051 m. into the Taguersift valley, which eventually drains to the Assif Seksawa. Then we had to climb the east slope of Moulay Ali. Before the descent we went south west, almost to Tizi Idgal taking in several summits and looking at the landscape.

After an over night bivvy on a flat topped red rock dyke we were off at 6 am and on the summit by 9 am. On the descent, about altitude 2,700 m., we found more erodiums ! On return to camp by the Nfis I had time to photograph the erodiums there in the sun.

We now had two days to walk back to Agouersafene to connect with the landrover for Marrakech but there was time to walk the remaining western part of the north rim. Breaking camp and shortly before reaching the rim we came on another area with superb Erodium cheilanthifolium plants at a little above 3,000m. In the afternoon below Awrir n`Tidaf`s 2,934 m. summit, at about 2,800 m., several dozen or more plants of E.atlanticum or cossonii grew amongst pale creamy brown granite boulders.

That was not the last of the uncertain species for on the last day`s descent from Tizi Asdim 2,842 m. we followed the erodium trail from about 2,100 m. to 1,700m. down Assif Gourion as far as Sidi Lahsene-ou-Tiqi.

Which species were they? On return I opened all the paper packets from the six sites, 160 seeds in all. Although many were not ripe or were infertile they were developed enough to see their pits under a microscope. All the seeds had two pits on each side making all the plants Erodium cossonii. The seeds from the last valley differed from those from others locations in that their lower pits were noticeably narrower.

These findings are in accord with the paper of Prof. Guittoneau and Mathez for we too failed to find any other sites of E. atlanticum but perhaps we found one or more of Ibrahim Ammeribt`s
E. cossonii sites?

Charles Aitcheson

January 2003 Newsletter

Monte StAngelo

by Darren Sleep

Following a recommendation from Ken & Ann Kitchen I booked on a Greentours holiday to Italy's Gargano peninsula in April 2002. The Greentours brochure suggests taking a four day extension, staying put in the hotel in Monte StAngelo when the rest of the group departs, I would say they should advertise this option more assertively! Although I very much enjoyed the Greentours guided part of the holiday, the four of us who remained behind saw many more plants and these included virtually all those seen with the group plus a few significant extras….. The location would also be ideal to simply book a room privately and explore for a week, with or without a car - there is lots of botanical interest within walking distance of the hotel.
The primary interest of this holiday is, of course, the amazing Orchid flora for which the area is becoming well known. That said, there were lots of other vegetable treasures to be seen, for example; three species of Peony, fields full of Iris lutescens in many colour variations and usually in the company of the smaller Iris pseudopumila. The endemic crevice plants Campanula garganica and Aubrieta columnae occupied the vertical limestone faces. 'Bulbs' included Narcissus poeticus, Hermodactylus tuberosus, Corydalis cava and lots of Cyclamen repandum. The evidence was that there would also be a good autumn show if the numbers of Cyclamen hederifolium and Colchicum cupanii in seed were any indication.

The most exciting orchids of the holiday were seen by those of us who stayed behind. With the group we saw almost forty species of Orchid in flower but one which eluded them was the very early flowering Giant Orchid, Barlia robertiana, which we had seen in fruit in a number of places along with fruiting Widow Iris (Hermodactylus) which has a similarly early flowering habit. When re-visiting a small valley in which the group had spent a morning some days earlier, I recalled that I had found a solitary Hermodactylus still in flower here (it normaly finishes flowering before the end of March) and it occurred to me that if I looked more closely there was just a chance that I could find Barlia still in flower here as the local microclimate was obviously holding back the Hermodactylus….. Well, surely enough, I found a single Barlia in good flower in the shade of a tree right at the highest point of the valley. This little area also yielded good examples of the spectacular hybrid between Orchis italica and Aceras (now also in Orchis) anthropophorum, in addition to a hybrid swarm between Orchis ustulata and Orchis tridentata. Needless to say - all four parents were around too! Other species here were Orchis morio and Orchis papillionacea (now both moved into Anacamptis!), Orchis pauciflora, and numerous Ophrys species.
On the very day that the bulk of the group had departed for home we scrounged a lift as far as the town and walked up onto the ridge which led back parallel to the hotel road but 100 metres higher. As soon as we left the town and passed a transmitter mast we found a group of wind stunted pines alongside the path and growing beneath them were many of the bright yellow Orchis pauciflora. We left the path and headed through the trees and emerged on a narrow grassy area immediately before the sharp drop into the Carbonara valley. In amongst the rocks here were thousands of Orchis quadripunctata, a typical plant of this exposed limestone habitat, both here and elsewhere in the mediterranean. Great excitement followed my discovery here of a staggeringly beautiful hybrid between these two Orchis species. This was quite the loveliest European Orchid I have ever set eyes upon! There were other plants of this parentage around (and I'm told one was found elsewhere by a Greentours group in 2001) but nothing compared to this individual which was a rich magenta colour with the yellow centre to the labellum inherited from pauciflora. The walk continued along the ridge, past huge numbers of man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) and other species and then met with a perpendicular service road at the next transmitter mast, from here one could walk down to join the road back to the hotel, passing populations of Lady Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid and Bertoloni's Bee orchid along the way.

September 2002 Newsletter

Bulbs of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco.

by Charles Aitcheson

Morocco with its North African image may not be most bulb enthusiasts idea of a likely place to look for bulbs. However most of the country has a mediterranean climate of hot dry summers, autumn rains and cold winters, just what bulbs have evolved to cope with. The atlantic and mediterranean coastal areas, the plains and the high mountain ranges with the highest summits topping 4000m. give a range of climate and habitat zones for many species of bulbous plants.

The most accessible accounts of moroccan bulbs are to be found in John W. Blanchard`s monograph "Narcissus. A Guide to Wild Daffodils" and Mike Salmon`s "Moroccan Monocots" in the A.G.S. Bulletin No. 56, p.170. These detail species found in the coastal, the Rif, the Middle Atlas mountains and most areas in between

This account is limited to a few of the species we have seen as my wanderings with David Tattersfield, camping or sometimes bivouacing, have been mostly along and across the High Atlas Mountains. Even there we have not yet seen all the species in bloom. Rather than doing a tour of the mountains detailing bulbs as they occur I shall discuss them alphabetically in the three great Family groupings.

Liliaceae
Androcymbium gramineum, related to the colchicums but having separate tepals, is common from the atlantic coast, through the Anti Atlas to the sunny lower slopes of the western High Atlas and east to the hot dry slopes of the Jbilete. From September through to January it shows its flower clusters sitting within rosettes of long, curving, grass-like leaves. The green throat and brownish-maroon anthers contrast with the white tepals. Mike Salmon says that the bulbs are difficult to establish in cultivation.

Colchicum autumnale and C. lusitanum are autumn flowering but descriptions in books and articles are confusing and a number of other species names have been linked within the first named. "Flora Europaea" has the second C. lusitanum as a species within the C. autumnale group. Where ever the botanists make the species divisions there are attractive pink, slightly chequered autumn colchicums from the west to the east in the High Atlas. The flower tepals are often linear lanceolate and the anthers are yellow.

Colchicum triphyllum is the only spring flowering moroccan species. Resembling a crocus with its pink globular flowers and dark anthers it flowers at 3000m. by the edge of melting snow. Like many snow melt bulbs it is difficult in captivity as our winter days are warm and dark compared to its sunny mountain homelands around the Mediterranean.

Dipcadi serotinum resembles a tall hyacinth but in shades of orange on the pendant tubular bells. The leaves are narrow, linear and grooved. David and I have seen this on the rocky slopes of the upper N`fis river. Mike Salmon has seen it by the same river much lower in the Moulay Brahim gorge.

Fritillaria messanensis grows widely around the Mediterranean and is the only fritillary found in North Africa. We saw our first by moonlight with the aid of a torch! A variety of slopes, whether of rock, shale or grass suit it. The narrow, glaucous, alternate leaves finish as a whorl around the pedicels of the often paired tubby flowers, which are chequered reddish-brown and green, with green stripes. "The Gardeners Guide to Growing Fritillaries" says that the north african subspecies atlantica is dwarfer than the other subspecies, reaching 20cm., but the plants we have seen were taller. The ones David has seen in profusion at 2600m. at the ski resort of Oukaimeden were 50cm. tall.

Gagea. There are numerous species of gagea but they are not easy to identify. The one we have seen most is striking having a branched, hairy flower stem bearing many yellow flowers. It grows high to almost 3000m. often in moist grassland adjacent to Narcissus bulbocodium and Gentiana verna.

Ornithogalum umbellatum. Morocco has even more species of this than of gageas. However O. umbellatum is easily recognised by the tufts of leaves of offsets around a central bulb. The linear are white striped and channelled. A pyramidal raceme holds the white flowers, whose tepals are striped green externally. It grows in grassy and stony places.

Hyacinthoides aff. hispanica. This bluebell grows not in woodland but on grassy slopes, moist in spring. Resembling the spanish species its anthers not blue but are as cream coloured as those of H. non-scripta of north west europe. The botanists are still working on this one. We found it on the slopes of Djebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa and Dr. Jury of Reading University found it at the ski resort.

Urginea maritima a giant squill with a turnip sized bulb,which projects above the soil surface grows from the coast to high rocky slopes. Being poisonous grazing animals do not touch it and its tall flower spike bearing hundreds of small white flowers is conspicuous in the autumn. The basal leaves appear in spring.

Urginea noctiflora subsp. aurantiaca in contrast is a diminutive plant, the flowers opening from late afternoon to dawn to attract night flying insects. The tepals of the hanging flowers are white, striped fawn to orange. The spring leaves are very narrow and curled. Although inconspicuous the plant grows on the central plain, the Middle and the High Atlas and it will grow in soil crevices on bare sun baked rocks.

Amaryllidaceae.
Leucojum autumnale as the name indicates flowers in autumn, the thread-like leaves appearing about the time the two to three pink-based delicate flowers open on their umbels. The plant is abundant on the slopes of the Ourika valley in the western High Atlas.

Narcissus. Five species grow in the High Atlas ; N. atlanticus, bulbocodium, cantabricus, romieuxii, rupicola (two subsp. marvieri and watieri). David and I have only seen N. bulbocodium and N. watieri in bloom and I shall discuss them. The others grow at lower altitudes and flower much earlier than we have been in the country.. So I recommend John Blanchard`s monograph to those seeking further information.
Narcissus bulbocodium, the Hoop Peticoat Daffodil is well known to growers of small bulbs. Its cheerful looking flowers intimate the imminence of spring. It is an easily grown pot bulb unless it gets wet and then frozen hard, then it rots. In the wild it grows at high elevations, to over 3000m., where it is protected from extreme cold by deep snow. As the snow melts it breaks quickly into growth, the flower often opens as it emerges from the turfy soil before the stalk appears. In some sites the flowering plants are in running water. The density of bulbs is related to spring moisture levels and the flowers can be visible from afar as yellow ribbons rimming the snow melt streams. The short, wide flared coronas and their projecting stamens and stigmas are attractive to Humming-bird Hawkmoths, which are the only narcissus pollinators we have seen. In some sites Gentiana verna grows by the narcissi on slightly drier ground, it has attendant striped Hawkmoths as its pollinators.

Narcissus rupicola subsp. watieri. This like the previous species grows to high altitudes. John Blanchard records it above the Tizi n` Tichka pass at 3400m. We have seen it seven kilometres north east at 2300m. and starting at 1800m. ascending up both sides of the Rereya valley onto the slopes of Djebel Toubkal. We have also seen it above and below the ski village Oukaimeden. It does not grow in masses but in small scattered groups in soil between and at the bases of rocks. The leaves have a glaucous blue-grey bloom and are flat and wider than those of N. bulbocodium. The coronas vary in shape, they can be laid flat or can be longer and cone-shaped.

Iridaceae.
Romulea bulbocodium is the commonest species of this genus to be found throughout most of the mediterranean region, from lowlands to mountains. So it is in Morocco where the plant is found to high altitudes along the length of the High Atlas. The flowers appear from corms in early spring on green stems with two green spathes enclosing each flower bud. The flowers are six petalled, varying from white to lilac with yellow throats inside and green or violet stripes outside. There are three stamens and a three-branched style. The basal leaves are linear, curved and procumbent or straight and ascending.

This excellent article by Darren Sleep is included in the January 2002 Newsletter.

Growing Aril (Oncocyclus and Regelia) Irises in pots.(January 2002 newsletter).

Kind comments on the health of my Oncocyclus Iris plants by other group members, and queries about how I grow them, have inspired me to write the following article. Firstly, I should stress that this is simply my preferred method and is largely derived from the method of Geoff Wilson , possibly the UK's only Aril and Arilbred hybridiser, who also provided me with many of the species and hybrids I currently grow. The growing cycle for me usually starts in mid-september when the plants are retreived from their summer resting place and potted up. They should be checked over for signs of rot, if present it can often be cut out and the cuts treated with sulphur. Typical compost is 1/3 John Innes no3 and 2/3 grit with a good handful of dolomite lime powder added to each bucketful of compost mix. Pots (deep plastic ones usually) are filled two thirds full with this mix and the plant suspended above the compost while enough compost is added to bury the bottom third of the permanent roots. The pot is then filled up with grit so that the rhizome is just beneath the surface and is surrounded by the grit. Only the bottom of the permanent roots need be in contact with compost. The plants are then thoroughly watered and stood in a bright part of the greenhouse. They will start into growth incredibly quickly, some species will have started to grow whilst still in summer storage (I.sprengeri especially) but the pale young shoots soon green up. Keep an eye peeled for aphids – Onco's are very susceptible to viruses! Watering and feeding are fairly heavy until November when the plants slow down markedly and will not need much until late February when they get another good watering and a feed. The main spring growth period is the time when they should not go short of water and food, some species may keep going until mid summer but eventually all will die back, watering should cease at the first sign of the leaves yellowing. When fully dormant my plants are unpotted and treated as follows; All old, brown, dead, fine feeding roots are removed ; they usually come away easily. Any solid white roots with dead ends are trimmed back to the white bits again. All the dried leaf sheaths are peeled off ; they can otherwise host aphids during storage. Old, soft or rotten parts of the rhizome are cut away, this is also a good time to divide the plants if desired, many of them appreciate regular division anyway. Dead 'permanent' roots can be pulled way from the rhizome with a sharp tug to leave a small concave wound. The plants are then dipped in a bleach bath (1 cup of Milton fluid per 10 litre bucket of clean tap-water, it is important to use a 'thin' bleach rather than a thick 'Domestos' type) for 1 minute, followed by a rinse in clean tap-water, followed by a 15 minute dip in a systemic fungicide (I'm not sure what good this does as the plant will not be taking much up!). They are then left on a greenhouse shelf to dry thoroughly but not to the extent that the storage roots shrivel – two days is usually enough at this time of year. Finally any cut surfaces or wounds on the rhizome from pulling old roots away are dusted with sulphur or sealed with 'Arbrex' or similar. The plants are wrapped, with their label, in old newspaper and placed into a shoebox. Dry sand or grit is then poured into the shoebox to bury and fill the gaps between the newspaper parcels. The boxes are left on a high shelf at the shadier end of the greenhouse until repotting in September. Biscuit tins with a few small holes in might be better if you have a rodent problem as, apparently, Mice like to eat aril rhizomes!

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Pests and diseases. The two most important problems are likely to be rhizome rots (which can be controlled by hygiene and vigilance) and aphids which carry the viruses to which Onco's are so susceptible. Virused plants have deformed foliage and flowers which have paler or darker streaks and mottling, they must be destroyed. Aphids particularly like the smaller, thinner leaved, species and always seem live on the side of the plant that faces away from the greenhouse path! It goes without saying that any tools used during division must be sterile but I usually find that the plants can be divided simply by pulling them apart anyway. Snails and slugs will attack foliage. A particularly choosy slug kindly 'mowed' a treasured pot of Iris lycotis seedlings (from an Archibald wild collection) this september but they have since regrown with no harm done!

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From our chairman Charles Aitcheson comes these two articles, (both from the January2002 newsletter)..........

Chairmans ramblings pt1........

Summer and autumn in Kendal were exceedingly wet and voracious slugs were active. Growing conditions which did not suit my Geranium cinereum and related species. In consequence very little seed was set. In cool or wet weather many geraniums and erodiums abort developing seeds. Geranium L. is the largest genus in the Geraniaceae and is divided into three subgenera, one of which Erodioidea comprises three sections. The section Subacaulia is distributed in the circum-Mediterranean mountains and until recently was divided into the three species G. argenteum (France, Italy, Slovenia), G. cazorlense (Spain) and G.cinereum. The latter being further divided into five subspecies ; cinereum (France & Spain), dolomiticum (Spain), subargenteum (Spain), nanum (Morocco) and subcaulescens (plus eight varieties across Italy, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon). Further study and revision by spanish botanists has elevated the subspecies and the varieties into separate species *, there now being fifteen species. I grow eight of the species and several colour forms of G.cinereum as well as the garden hybrids Ballerina, Lawrence Flatman and Apple Blossom. For four years I have been attempting to hybridise some of the species by cross pollination. Surprisingly the most difficult to get hybrids from is G. cinereum. This produces hybrids with G. subcaulescens but offspring of crosses with the other species grow slowly and a number have seed leaves and leaves with pigment deficiencies and soon die. The most attractive are the crosses G. nanum x G. subcaulescens and G. nanum x G. makmelicum ( named after Jebel Makmel, Lebanon). These two hybrids are vigorous, colourful and because they are sterile flower from May to October. None of the various first generation hybrids have produced fertile seed yet despite careful pollination with their own hybrid types. This suggests that the botanists views that they are separate species is correct. All the plants except G. argenteum grow readily from early spring cuttings and root cuttings. If any one is interested I have some seed available. Some light relief. Did you know that slugs are hermaphrodites and fertilise their own eggs if they get north of Preston? Genuine research. Mind you they can always travel south again. Charles Aitcheson

Chairmans ramblings cont........ In August five friends and I went to California to walk the John Muir Trail, two hundred and thirty odd miles, from Yosemite valley south along the Sierra Nevada Mountains to exit via Mount Whitney`s summit ( 14,491 ft). The range is granite, the spectacular Half Dome summit being our first objective. The area is under 8 to 20 ft of snow for eight months and most plants flower quickly after snow melt but there were many plants of interest and a few late flowers. On the climb we passed a wet area with Aquilegia formosa with orange and yellow flowers and Platanthera leucostachys, the White-flowered Bog Orchid. On moist grassy clearings, lake edges and riverside meadows Gentiana holopetala, the Sierra Gentian and Gentiana newberryi, the Alpine Gentian were frequent. The latter growing to over 10,000 ft is stemless, white flowers externally striped in purplish dark brown. By a lake edge we saw another gentian, G. calycosa, the Explorers Gentian. This one is taller having 1-3 broadly funnel-shaped flowers of dark blue striped green. In the meadows also were thousands of Dodecatheon, Shooting Stars of a number of species. The flowers were all long gone but their leaves and seed heads on long stalks were conspicuous. Among them grew an occasional Gentiana amarella, the Northern Gentian and the white Spiranthes romanzoffiana, Ladies` Tresses Orchid. There are fourteen species of conifers in California. They are dominant in the vegetation, with a powerful presence, tall and of great girth. The forest under-storey is mostly a mix of wild goose-berries and red currants with low ericaceous plants ; Arctostaphylos nevadensis, Pine Mat, a sprawling, pale green-leaved plant. Cassiope mertensiana, White Heather, round bells on upright shoots. Kalmia polifolia var.microphylla, the Alpine or Californian Laurel, open pink bells. Ledum glandulosum var. californicum, Labrador-Tea, clustered heads of white flowers. Phyllodoce breweri, the Mountain Heather, bells of purplish pink. Occasionally in moist areas Rhododendron occidentale, Western Azalea, scented yellow-blotched white flowers. Sadly these flowers were all spent. On high, north slopes the conifers give way in places to scrub Birch and shrubs; Jamesii californicum. Holodiscus microphyllus, Cream Bush, a spirea-like flower of the rose family. Spirea densiflora, Mountain Spirea with rose-purple flowers. Potentilla fruticosa, the Shrubby Cinquefoil, yellow-flowered as our cumbrian native. Ceanothus integerrimus, Deerbrush and C. velutinus, Tobacco Bush, both of these have white flowers. Sambucus racemosa, the Red Elderberry. The berry bearing bushes were a delight to the Black Bears for we often saw their fresh droppings of fruit pips and skins but fortunately were only troubled once by a bear, although they were in our minds frequently. High bare slopes grew silver-leaved, stemless, yellow flowered Eriogonum ovalifolium, the Oval-Leaved Buckwheat. Their fading flowers became scarlet seed heads. Saxifraga tolmiei, the Alpine Saxifrage with bright green, fleshy leaves, red stems and white flowers filled the spaces between boulders. Whenever we got above 10,000 ft on the last fifty miles or so the boulder screes were laced with ribbons of Primula suffrutescens, the Sierra Primrose. Alas not in bloom but the shrubby rosettes held thousands of seed heads. What a sight they must have been. In company with them at the highest altitudes on the last three passes we reached Polemonium eximium, the Sky Pilot, its clumps of sticky folded pinnate leaves held many seed heads. Fortunately approaching the summit of the USA`s highest mountain (outside Alaska) a few plants still showed flowers in various shades of blue. Mixing with the blue was a final endemic, a glorious golden daisy Hulsea nana, the Dwarf Alpine Gold. *Systematic Botany Monographs, vol. 49. Revision of Geranium Subgenus Erodioidea , Carlos Aedo
Charles Aitcheson

. Also from the January 2002 newsletter come this article from a shy Sue Donin............

Switzerland in September

When we booked a walking holiday in Switzerland in September I did not think that I would see alpine flowers so late! Our first week was in the west at Chateau D’Oex at nearly 4000 ft. There were gentle rolling hills with a backdrop of snow covered mountain peaks, the air was as clear as the cowbells you could hear around. The train system is fantastic, easy to use and understand and reliable! Cable cars helped us up another 1-2000 ft in different areas allowing us some beautiful ridge walks. We saw a lot of wild flowers, several gentians G campestris (the field gentian) G aslepiadea (the willow gentian) with long arching sprays. G lutea was evident, not in flower but in seed and grows in abundance. Gentianella ciliata (the fringe gentian) we saw down one path. Anthericum lilago (St Bruno's Lily) I saw several times. I have grown it myself from A.G.S. seed and love it. I was delighted to see the Grass of Parnassus with it’s white staid flowers, thinking it rare. Later however we saw it a number of times. The second week we were at Saas Fee at 5500 ft. It has two glaciers above it and is very dramatic. We had many interesting walks, the one most applicable here, above Saas Grund was called the Alpen Blumen Promenade and started at 7200 ft from Kreuzboden. To aid identification there were posters of plants in flower nearby (not always easily found). The walk itself was fabulous, a narrow high path; overlooking, across the valley, the glaciers above Saas Fee. The ground looked very arid and stony and not too promising but before long flowers started to appear:- Campanula excisa & C scheuchzeri, Androsace vitaliana, Trifolium alpinum, Bupleurium ranunculoides, Gentiana purpurea & ramosa all in flower. I was surprised at how recognition started to come with the help of the posters, a book and friends! Lots of seed heads of Pulsatilla alpina were around which I recognised well. Linaria alpina & Silene acaulis (the moss campion)

Silene acaulis

Linaria alpina

are also in my garden. Lloydia serotina, Lousleuria procumbens not in flower but recognisable. Geum montanum very pretty but I did not see Ranunculus glacialis or Eritrichium nanum! Cirsium spinosisimum (the spiny cabbage thistle). Arnica montana with it’s spiky yellow flowers. Geum reptans had a few flowers left but was mostly distinctive in seed. Mountain sorrel was around (Oxyria digyra) also the lousewort Pedicularis kerneris, Sedum rosea (the stone crop) & Achilla moschata (the milk milfoil). Androsace vandelli (the rock jasmine) & Dianthus carthusianorum with rose pink flowers. Tiny Silene rupestris & Helianthemun alpestra in bright yellow garb. The alpine red clover, Trifolium pratense & oh, at last Edelweiss:- (Leontopodium alpinum) some lovely clumps of them.
Leontopodium alpinum
Aster alpinus, Potentilla grandiflora, Antennaria diocia with it’s soft cats paws! Alpine kidney vetch & thistles. The cobweb houseleek, two insectivorous plants one having a meal, Pinguicula vulgaris (violet) & alpina (white). Pedicularis verticillata (the whorled lousewort), and Pyrola minor (the small wintergreen), Phyteuma betonicifolium & Phyteuma orbiculare (the round headed rampion) were distinctive. There were many others, my highlight was when I saw two lovely clumps of Veronica fruticans growing. I grow it from the seedlist & was able to tell the botanists what it was! I did see some saxifrage but mostly found them difficult to identify and I had not got Beryl or her book! It was wonderful to see the alpine plants in their natural settings . All in all we got a lot more out of the holiday than we expected, it was well worthwhile and very enjoyable.
Sue Donin

Alpines 2001, Edinburgh. Thursday 28th June - Monday 2nd July.
(From the September 2001 Newsletter)

Many thanks to Darren Sleep for this article

A PAIR OF NANA'S.
(From the January 2001 Newsletter)

A year on from a visit with Naturetrek to the Western Cape of South Africa I find myself looking back with great fondness for the area and its flora as a whole. There were, inevitably, many plants I was particularly taken with but these were mostly rather un-alpine. The two species I intend to cover here would probably be happy in the alpine house, however, and they happen to share the specific epithet nana.
Protea nana
Confusingly, the name ‘Protea’ is accepted as a catch-all term for members of the Proteaceae, thereby including many other genera (e.g. Leucadendron , Leucospermum etc) besides Protea itself. This is one of those rare instances where colloquial names are actually useful, in that species in the genus Protea are uniquely referred to as Sugarbushes. The Mountain Rose Sugarbush, Protea nana is (obviously) one of the smaller Sugarbushes. It is a montane plant (if you can call 400-900m ‘montane’) and grows to around a meter in height. Being in Sect.Pinifoliae the foliage is needle like, giving the plant a coniferous appearance when out of flower. Most Sugarbushes have large, complicated, upward-facing flowers but those of P.nana are about 5-7cm in diameter and pendant. In the best forms the conspicuous bracts are a deep wine red colour and the overall effect with the low spring sun behind them is enchanting. From the point of view of cultivation this is a very promising plant for frost-free glass or maybe the alpine house in a large pot, although I suspect it may survive unprotected in mild areas on the west coast. It has proven easy to grow so far, seeds from Silverhill Seeds were sown in October 1999 and germinated within 3 weeks, the plants have grown on in JI Ericaceous compost with added coarse sand and are now (1 year later) up to 15cm in height and beginning to branch. For those with more money than patience, Trevenna Cross nurseries in Cornwall have listed this species.
Erica nana
South Africa is home to more than 600 Erica species. Many of these have large and spectacular flowers which put those of most boreal species to shame. Unfortunately few are at all frost resistant and the more spectacularly flowered ones are large shrubs which would be difficult to accommodate in pots in domestic greenhouses. There is also a problem of availability ; they are next to impossible to obtain commercially in the UK, although some may be available privately through Heather society exchange schemes. Erica nana would be a wonderful addition to any alpine house. This forms a small, ,usually prostrate, shrub which would look similar to any small European Erica when out of flower. The flowers are quite stunning when they arrive as they are a bright yellow, tubular and 3-4cm in length. This is very definitely a montane plant but is said to be rather easier to cultivate at lower altitudes (i.e. Kirstenbosch) than most montane species. Conditions in Northern Europe are likely closer to those of the Cape mountains than to Capetown and our cooler temperatures, if not our lower light levels, may suit the species well. The plant centre at Kirstenbosch sells a vigorous ‘gold’ hybrid of this species with a fellow member of sect. Evanthe, Erica patersonia, also yellow flowered but from lower altitudes and rather larger and more upright in habit. The hybrid is closer to E.nana in appearance. This is all, unfortunately, academic; Silverhill do not currently list seed and I have only once heard of E.nana being currently in cultivation in our part of the world and this is the reference in the Bulletin to it’s appearance at an Irish AGS show last year. I really hope that this species becomes more readily available (along with the other Cape Heaths) as I would dearly love to grow it. For the moment I will have to be content with my photographs, although Schumann & Kirsten (1995) state that Kirstenbosh has a good supply of seeds and plants… Further reading: ‘SASOL Field Guide to the Proteas of Southern Africa’ by Tony Rebelo (1995) ‘Ericas of South Africa’ D Schumann and G. Kirsten (1995) (A wonderful book.)

Many thanks to Darren Sleep for this wonderful article and photos.

Erica nana

Click on the photos for a larger image Photographs by Darren Sleep

Protea nana

The Algarve..
From the January 2001 Newsletter

CHAIRMANS RAMBLINGS.....
From the January 2001 Newsletter

CHAIRMANS RAMBLINGS.....Sept 2000.....

SUMMER 2000 WALKS, a Report.........

North Walney NNR. 18th June 2000.

With the mercury touching 30°C and there having been a walk in a not dissimilar environment the previous week it was pleasing to see a healthy turnout. It was arranged that cars be parked in the public car park at Earnse bay so that we could examine the unique shingle beach flora on the one mile walk to the reserve. Sunbathing Barrovians in advanced states of undress looked on as we threaded our way between them to examine the tufts of vegetation emerging from the pebbles. One particularly noticeable plant here was the rare Isle of Man Cabbage () but there were good cushions of sandwort and some large SeaKale (Crambe maritima) which had looked and smelled magnificent during my recce the previous week but which were now suffering from a week of temperatures in the high 20s Centigrade. Approaching the entrance to the reserve there are some large bushes of naturalised Rosa rugosa and then Viola tricolor starts to appear alongside the path in many colour variations. Tim Dean's book on the natural history of Walney Island suggests that this species tends towards blue flowers at one end of the island and yellow at the other. The entrance to the reserve coincides with the start of the dune systems, and also with the first appearance of Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum) where shingle meets dune sand. This is a very common plant at North Walney. Behind the first dunes are damp, grassy dune slacks punctuated by freshwater ponds which are a relic of the gravel extraction that continued here until the early 1970's. As has happened so often elsewhere these have proven a haven for an abundance of aquatic flora and fauna. Large populations of very visible leeches in some of these ponds discouraged any paddling! In the damp grassy areas adjacent to the ponds we found some good groups of the northern marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella) and odd individuals of common spotted Orchid (D..fuchsii) and plants which may have been either very late flowering early marsh (D. incarnata) or possibly the southern marsh (D.praetermissa). There are other orchids on the reserve, the marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris) being a notable one but this does not flower until July . Moving north to where the ponds end we started to find the dog and burnet roses in some numbers, the burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia) is an attractive feature of the reserve in June, at this particular position it formed substantial shrubs as the soil is richer and grazing pressure lower than elsewhere in the reserve. Also making it's first striking appearance was the magenta flowered type form of the Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), we were walking along with none in sight one moment and then surrounded by them the next. Naturalised yellow Lupins were also conspicuous. A small diversion from the path led us to yet another of the reserves habitats; ericaceous heath and Sphagnum bog. Calluna and two species of Erica were present here in the drier parts. In the boggy areas were many species of mossesand lichens including the striking red-tipped Cladonia. Ferns (other than bracken) are uncommon on Walney but this boggy area provides a toe-hold for the royal fern (Osmunda regalis). The round leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is quite thick on the ground here and the nearby pond has a large population of the Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris ). After a brief rest it was back onto the path and we headed west past the Natterjack toad breeding scrapes (no sign of any natterjack tadpoles this year) to our final location and my own favourite part of the reserve at this time of year. An area of short turf with tufts of marram grass and patches of sand immediately adjacent to the beach, this location had much more compact plants of Rosa pimpinellifolia. A combination of grazing and growing in almost pure sand has reduced these plants to tiny tufts of foliage with full sized flowers perched on the top, if we could get the species to do this in pots it would be a showstopper! Also here were thousands of plants of Geranium sanguineum and a percentage of these were Walney's most famous plant, the smaller growing pale pink flowered var striatum (still var lancastrense to us locals) which was originally discovered here and is now found in gardens worldwide. (The picture shows both forms growing together in habitat). The usual magenta form showed considerable variation and much admiration was expressed of a bicoloured form in which the innermost portion of the petals was a different shade. Other low-growing or mat forming plants prominent here are rest-harrow (Ononis repens), Thyme and the beautiful sea bindweed ( Calystegia soldanella ) which is a far more aristocratic plant than its weedier cousins. Time and heat prevented a visit to the saltmarsh habitats at the east of the reserve but this area is worth a visit in July and August when the Sea Lavender is in bloom. Other flowering plants on the reserve at this time would include the Sea Holly and Carline Thistle. The walk ended with a trek back along the beach to the cars. A short journey to our house resulted in us all being refreshed by iced water, tea and nibbles thoughtfully prepared by Susan. Thanks are due to my wife Susan for the refreshments. George Johnson , the English Nature site manager for North Walney for his advice and for providing leaflets. Local councillor and outstanding naturalist John Murphy helped in locating some of the more elusive plants during my preparations. Our group chair Charles Aitchison was a great source of botanical help on the day.

Darren Sleep

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Drosera rotundifolia(round leaved sundew)

the group in the heat of the sun!

Dactylorhiza purpurella(northern marsh orchid)

Birkdale Dunes (Southport). 11th June 2000.

It was a rather cool and windy afternoon when a small but select group of our members met with Brian Burrow to sample the rich floral delights of the Birkdale sand dunes. In three hours we noted over 130 species and this was only a sample of what was growing there. The habitats varied from woodland scrub to open heath, marshland, dune slacks, and fresh water ponds. I can only mention a few plants in this short account but a full list with both Latin names and English names will be available to anyone interested. I was particularly interested in the wealth of grasses which are so lovely when in flower and stirred by the breeze (unless you are a hay-fever sufferer). The English names “Cocksfoot”, “Cotton Grass”, “Sand Cat’s Tail” and “Yorkshire Fog” are very evocative. It is a difficult group of plants to sort out but well worth the effort. With Brian’s expert help we managed to name 15 different species. In the marshy areas there were 6 species of rush including the very rare and tiny Baltic rush (Juncus balticus) found in Great Britain only at Birkdale and a couple of sites in Scotland. One wonders how these rare plants came to be here and how they managed to survive. There were 5 sedges and 2 forms of horse-tail (the marsh and variegated) and also towering in the pond the genuine mare’s tail. I hope this does not travel!! The damper areas were rich in orchids, the Early Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. coccinea) a lovely rosy-pink form and the Southern Marsh Orchid (D paetermissa). The Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris) was there in large numbers but not yet in flower. Up on the heath we came across the Twayblade, Green-flowered Helliborine and the Broad leaved Helliborine all in leaf. The orchid of the day had to be the Bee orchid (Ophris apifera) with it’s stunning markings. We only found a couple, although in some years it is much more plentiful. There many seaside specialities including the Sea Storksbill (Erodium maritimum) and a very dainty seaside viola (Viola tricolor ssp.curtisii) and up on the heath the Heath Dog-Violet (Viola canina). Finally there were the surprises, a large bank of dark pink Rosa rugosa on the roadside probably sown by the birds and some magnificent Tree Lupins growing very well up on the edge of the heath. As we left glancing back towards the dune skyline, I was amazed to see a stately stand of Red Hot Pokers. Garden escapes or deliberate eviction? Will they naturalise I wonder? Thank you Brian for a very stimulating afternoon. I shall certainly return.

Beryl Bland

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Dactylorhiza incarnata v coccinea

the group in classic plant hunting mode!

Dactylorhiza majalis(broad leaved marsh orchid)

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