The Glassworts of Cornwall 2022

 When looking through the botanical records for Cornwall's estuaries, I noticed that in many places the only species of Glasswort recorded was Common Glasswort, and even then, mostly as an aggregate. In other words, it would be worth surveying my local estuaries more thoroughly to see what Glassworts I might find.

My trips showed me that Common Glasswort (Salicornia europaea) was indeed the most common species, but along the way I also found a few other species. The Hayle Estuary in the west of the county had been well recorded and was the most diverse in terms of Salicornias, so I concentrated elsewhere.

I visited the Camel Estuary in a few places and also a tributary or two of the Truro River. One place I found none at all was the River Fal, up near Lostwishiel. The habitat seemed wrong, with little shallow saltmarsh and oozing loose mudflats.

As expected, I found plenty of Common Glasswort, but it didn't take long to find some very red plants. Close examination of the plants showed these to be Purple Glasswort. Sometimes, Common Glasswort can also turn somewhat purple, so you have to be careful in determining the species. Much like Common Glasswort, it has beaded sections and smaller side flowers than the main central one, however, there is a wide (2mm) scarious margin along the pointed part of the leaf edge. This is almost invisible in Common Glasswort, thus this and the colour are used to determine them.

                                       Salicornia ramosissima

Below is Common Glasswort to show the differences. It is nearly always green, but as it ages may turn yellow or purple. I have noticed that mostly only parts of the plants change colour, the majority stays a pale to mid green, dull and not shiny (unless wet). 

                                                               Salicornia europaea

                                       Below is the yellow form of Common Glasswort.

Note the smaller side flowers. In Yellow Glasswort, all three flowers are equal in size. Look at several flowers to get an average on a plant. Also note that the side branches lack woody stems and grow directly out of the main stem.

Below is Long-stalked Glasswort. This plant is very distinctive having very long stems, and lacks the bumpy beady segments that characterises Common Glasswort. Previously these were only known in the Hayle Estuary and were a recent arrival there in the last ten years or so (Cornwall Flora). It seems they are spreading then, as I found them in the Camel estuary in several locations up the river. Of course, it could be that previous recorders recorded them as Common Glasswort aggregate without a closer examination of the plants. So it can't be known for sure how long they have been in the estuary.

                                       Salicornia dolichostachya

With Long-stalked Glasswort, the stems are regular without obviously beaded sections and no other Glasswort has such long sections. All three flowers are roughly of equal size. They are found mostly in the lower parts of the saltmarsh and are often the last vegetation found in such habitats. A young plant could be confused with Yellow Glasswort, which is similar but has much smaller stems and fewer sections. All branches on Yellow Glasswort are stalked too.

Lower parts of the saltmarsh and Salicornia dolichostachya in the foreground at Dinham Creek, Camel Estuary.

Salicornia dolichostachya and Salicornia ramosissima growing together at Halwyn, Camel Estuary.

A search of the Gannel estuary, just south of Newquay revealed a long lost small colony of Yellow Glasswort. This is very rare in Cornwall, so it was great to find it again. It was last found on 24/Oct/1911 in the Gannel by Dr Vigurs, a famous botanist of the time. I also found this plant in the Camel Estuary, though only a single plant. The flowers and cylindrical form of Yellow Glasswort is very similar to Long-stalked Glasswort, but note how much smaller the stems are, with all side branches stalked too.The three flowers are of a more or less equal size too with no scarious margins to the segments.

                                                                    Salicornia fragilis

The grassy area below which is submerged regularly by tides is a typical Common Glasswort habitat, here at St John's near Torpoint.

Luckily, I was quite familiar with all these Glassworts as they are much commoner in Kent where I used to live. The Kent Botanical Recording Group also had a Salicornia field trip every late Summer to help recorders identify them. This helped me so much, so check out your local botany group and see if they have such field trips.

I've yet to find other glasswort species in Cornwall and there are a few more species that could turn up. They include, One-flowered Glasswort, Shiny Glasswort, and Perennial Glasswort.

Below is a One-flowered Glasswort, I found at Rye Harbour some years ago. At that time I had no idea what it was. It's probably the prettiest species.

                                                        Salicornia disarticulata

                                                

 Sarcocornia perennis - Perennial Glasswort from Oare Marshes. This species has two types of leaves, one sterile and thin which stay all year round and fertile fronds with flowers.

That rounds up Glassworts that I found in Cornwall and a few other species that might turn up. Saltmarshes are muddy so wear wellies! Whilst surveying Glassworts, I also found a wealth of coastal Oraches, often growing close to the Glassworts along the high tide areas. These included Common, Spear-leaved, Babbington's and several hybrids too. I havent blogged about them as they are even more technical and complex than Salicornia!

Although this was a bit of a dry subject, I hope it inspires you to have a closer look at Glassworts next year. The more you examine, the easier it becomes to identify them.

Resources can be found on the BSBI website at https://bsbi.org plant cribs and also at https://bsbi.org/Kent which has a section on identifying Salicornia. Most books don't cover them very well and neglect to highlight the differences between species.

Until next time.

Regards

Dave
 

Botanical Finds in Cornwall for October 2022

 

 

I started the month with a trip to the south coast recording in the south western corner of St Austell Bay. There were plenty of plants still to see even though Summer had now passed in to Autumn.

 

This is Common Ramping Fumitory, the commonest Fumitory in Cornwall, but one has to take care it isn't one of the other larger species like Western Ramping or White Ramping Fumitories. The size and colour of the flowers, flower tips and the shape and size of the sepals are needed to key these out.

Fumaria muralis

In a coastal woodland was a carpet of yellow flowered strawberry plants, a frequent garden escape, but that that widespread overall. The fruit is supposedly insipid, but I refrained from eating any.

Potentilla indica

On an exposed cliff facing the sea were several colonies of Haresfoot Clover which has an attractive fluffy looking flowerhead made up of numerous individual white flowers.

Trifolium arvense

As I walked down the coastal path to a place called The Vans, which is rather an odd name, I came across several Mulleins along it. Careful examination of the flowers revealed this to be Dark Mullein and it had previously been recorded here before too. Note the all purple hairs on the stamens.

 

Verbascum nigrum

A few days later I was walking locally near St. Breock and found a patch of "waste ground" which was botanically rich in species. One species was this Bugloss below, with its tiny but bright blue flowers.

Anchusa arvensis

Nearby were several flowering crucifers. The bright green foliage and upper stem leaf shape showed it to be Common Wintercress. I usually only find this in flower in the Spring.

Barbarea vulgaris

I then explored a nearby churchyard and along its edges, paths and outside it were clumps of Common Calamint which I find is an attractive but not large flowered member of the Mint family.

Clinopodium ascendens

Michaelmas Daisies are quite common but there are several different types and they can be tricky to identify. I have included some notes on the photo below to show you some of what is needed to identify them. Very obvious on this specimen was that the phyllaries were quite a bit wider above their middle and easy to see too.

Symphotrichum novi-belgii

 

Most St. John's Wort have gone to seed now, but I found this late straggler still flowering. It has square stems which narrowed it down to Square Stalked or Imperforate. However, as the leaves had lots of white glands (hold one up to the light to see them), it could only be Square-stalked St. John's wort. It's flowers are smaller and usually more numerous than other Hypericums and the upright slightly bushy look of the plant is immediately recognisable anyway.

Hypericum tetrapterum

On a country lane I found these three plants growing out of a wall that I did not recognise at first. These are Giant Viper's Bugloss, a plant I want for my own garden as bees love them. You can see the parent plant within the garden behind the gate.

Echium pininana

At the freshwater end of a saltmarsh creek, I found my first colony of Apple Mint. At first, I thought it was Spearmint, given the inflorescences, but the leaves were wrong. The leaves did not smell very nice when crushed either, unlike Spearmint leaves.

Mentha x villosa

Back to my local area and on a walk along the tidal River Camel I found these Snapdragons growing wild on a disused industrial plot.

Antirrhinum majus

Stinking Iris were in full seed now and as the pods split, they reveal their lovely coloured seeds.

Iris foetidissima

Common Cord Grass was flowering along the mudflats, enhanced by the array of colours from aging Glassworts (there will be a seperate blog on Glassworts soon).

Spartina anglica

Near the high tide mark, but below it, I found this striking Atriplex or Orache. I have quite got into these and have found several hybrids. The BSBI referee identified this as the hybrid between Spear-leaved and Babbington's Orache. One needs to look very closely at the bracteoles, seeds and leaves to try and work these species out. A useful tip is to look at BSBI News and plant cribs for Atriplex which hold a wealth of information to help one identify which species has been found.

 

This hybrid is new to the Cornwall flora, though I have no doubt it is widespread but not yet identified elsewhere.

Atriplex glabriuscula x prostrata

The Camel Trail is well worth walking as well as cycling, though I wish the cyclists would be a bit more considerate to pedestrians and slow down as they approach them. On a wall there, I found a colony of Sea Spleenwort, an unusual, fleshy fern only found by the sea.

Asplenium marinum

 

In the grasses were some sedges. These were Long-bracted Sedge as evidenced by the very long bracts surpassing the seedheads.

Carex extensa

   

I then came across two species that flower in the Spring. The first, below, is Blackthorn. There were only a few flowers though.

Prunus spinosa

The other out of season flower was this lovely Burnet Rose, a rare plant back in Kent, but relatively common along the cornwall coasts.

Rosa spinosissima

Social media has been full of out of season plants in flower, so it was nice for me to find some too. I suspect the drought breaking recently triggered stressed plants in flowering again before the frosts arrive.

 

The most common Sea-Spurrey that I find is usually Rock Sea-Spurrey, so it was nice to find some Greater and Lesser Sea-Spurries along Little Petherick Creek shores. The plant below is Greater Sea-Spurrey that has 10 stamens and the petals are longer than the sepals. Lesser, has around 7 stamens and tiny flowers that do not exceed the sepals.

Spergularia media

Of course, now it's Autumn and the soil is damp, the fungi are appearing. This, I believe, is Honey Fungus, attractive, but one that would be unwelcome in gardens.

 

 

Near the end of the month, I visited the Torpoint area and recorded many plants. Below is Musk Storksbill which had run rampant all along a grassy sea front.

 

Erodium moschatum

Spindle is a small to medium native tree with leaves and flowers that are non-descript. The time to see it is now, when the brightly coloured pink seed capsules are present. These split to expose orange seeds within.

Euonymus europaeus

Henbit Dead-Nettle on the same grassy verge as the Musk Storksbill. Nicknamed "Happy Giraffes" by a botanist on social media! I can see why.

Lamium amplexicaule

I don't usually see Hedge Woundwort at the top of the beach, but it seems that in Cornwall, anything goes!

Stachys sylvatica

As if to contrast with the occasional Spring flower seen, the Holly was looking decidedly festive.

Ilex aquifolium

I also found Tashereau's Orache in two locations, but it is a dull plant and not very photogenic at this time of the year. Identity again confirmed by the Atriplex referee, it was the hybrid between Long-stalked and Babbington's Oraches. The seed is slightly out of focus, but then they are tiny!

Atriplex glabruiscula x longipes = A, x taschereaui 

 

The last photo shows the plant in total, it's the plant dying off in the foreground. As you can see it's almost gone over, but as it had a few leaves left and an abundance of seeds, it was identifiable.

For much of October I was visiting estuaries and saltmarshes looking for new Glasswort records. I did find some, though there aren't many species in Cornwall compared to other regions. They will feature in my next blog, but this one rounds off my general finds for October in Cornwall. I hope you enjoyed it.

Regards

Dave