Plant of the Week: Hop

This is a male Hop, a member of the Cannabis family.  In hop growing areas there was once a law ensuring the male plants were killed so that the female flowers were not contaminated.

It is now safe and unlikely to be killed willy-nilly.

The female of the species produces the ‘cones’ that are used to flavour beer. If you look around the Creek area you will find a female somewhere.  It’s a bine rather than a vine though the leaves are similar in shape to those of a grapevine.

It will smother young trees and can clear areas of other vegetation if allowed.
It grows tremendously during the growing season and dies back to the roots in winter and starts growing from the base again the following spring. It is relentless.

(Thanks to Nick Bertrand for info)

Plant of the Week: Hawkweed Oxtongue

The HAWKWEED OX-TONGUE (Picris hieracioides) is a rather slender plant, 2 to 3 feet high, the stems rough with hooked bristles, the stalkless leaves narrow, rough and toothed; flowers numerous and yellow. It is abundant on the edges of fields, especially in a gravelly or calcareous soil, and flowers from July to September. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek picros (bitter), from the bitter taste of the plant which was used as a pot-herb.

Enough Detours and Diversions – back to the Creek and Gipsywort..

… which has been masquerading as False Dead Nettle on these pages up till now.

Anyway, Gipsywort (Lycopus Europaeus):

It is reputed to have medicinal qualities and has been used by various peoples as an astringent, cosmetic, douche, narcotic and refrigerant. It has also been used to treat fever, hyperthyroidism, sores and wounds. Several research studies have been undertaken on the properties of this plant.

The name Gipsywort comes from the belief that Gipsies were reputed to stain their skin with the juice of the plant, although Howard (1987) states that they used it to dye their linen.

Also gipsy or gypsy?  Apparently you can have both.

Plant of the Week: Correction!

Yes, I have done it again.  It’s not False Dead Nettle but Gipsywort.  Thanks Nick Bertrand.  More Later.

Plant of the Week: White Dead Nettle

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50-100 cm tall, with green, four-angled stems. The leaves are triangular with a rounded base, softly hairy, and with a serrated margin and a petiole up to 5 cm long; like many other members of the Lamiaceae, they appear superficially similar to those of the Stinging nettle Urtica dioica but do not sting, hence the common name “dead nettle”. The flowers are white, produced in whorls (‘verticillasters’) on the upper part of the stem, the individual flowers 1.5-2.5 cm long.

The young leaves are edible, and can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable. The plant is also used in herbal medicine, for example as a dermatological remedy.

Bees are attracted to the flowers which contain nectar or pollen, hence the plant is sometimes called the Bee Nettle.

False Oat Grass: Update

In fact this is not False Oat Grass at all but is a grass called Timothy.

Stop Press:  It is the first year it has been seen at the Creek!  I am very pleased to have taken a photo to commemorate this exciting event.

Bizarrely, Timothy Grass has its own Facebook Page so if you want any information off you go:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Timothy-grass

Plant of the Week: White Melilot (Melilotus Albus)

I had never even heard of this plant so it is quite thrilling to find out its proper name.  It is found all over the British Isles but prefers warmer conditions.  The flowers produce abundant seeds which can float and disperse in water which is why it is common near rivers.

It has been used in herbal medicine as it contains dicoumarol (an anti-coagulant).  It is useful for honey production and for its nitrogen fixing ability in preparing agricultural soil for future crops.

I used the website of The British Botanical Society (link opposite) to identify this plant.  A really useful website.

Plant of the Week: False Oat Grass

Plant of the Week: Thistle

Plant of the Week: Red Valerian