BSBI Committee for Scotland

• Scottish Annual Meeting 2008
• Exhibits at Scottish Annual Meeting 2008
• Exhibit Abstracts 2008
• BSBI Committee for Scotland - members

The BSBI and BSS Scottish Annual Meeting 2008
Saturday 1st November 2008
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Programme and Registration Form now available

Programme

09:00 Arrival, Registration, and Setting up Exhibits
10:15 Welcome: Mary Gibby, Director of Science, RBGE
10:20 Introduction: Chris Miles, Chair, BSBI Committee for Scotland
10:25 BSBI Report, Michael Braithwaite, President, BSBI
10.35 BSS Report, Chris Jeffree, President, BSS
10:45 Plantlife Report, Deborah Long

11:00 Morning Coffee

11:30 BSBI: Future Projects, Kevin Walker, BSBI
11:45 Scottish Officer Annual Report, Jim McIntosh
12:00 BSBI Scottish Regional AGM (All Welcome)

12:30 Lunch & Exhibits. RBGE self-service restaurant will be open

14:30 Brian & Barbara Ballinger Vegetative Identification of Pyrola
         Lynne Farrell Progress on the Tetrad Flora of Mull
15:15 Questions and Issues Members Forum
15:45 Exhibitions & Scottish Committee Meeting in Boardroom

16:00 Afternoon Tea
16:30 Dismantling of Exhibits

17:00 David Pearman, Chris Preston & Gordon Rothero The Flora of Rum
18:00 Close and thanks, Chris Miles
18:30 Dinner

The BSBI and BSS Scottish Annual Meeting
Saturday 1st November 2008
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Hedera helix an under-researched plant? Alison Rutherford

Over the last 30 years Hugh McAllister and I have been researching the morphological differences between Common Ivy (Hedera helix), wild Atlantic Ivy (H. hibernica, H. helix ssp hibernica) and so-called Irish Ivy (H. cv ‘Hibernica’). This has taken attention away from consideration of H. helix. Potted plants of the ‘Pittsburgh’ ivies and wild H. helix, were exhibited to show the morphological differences between them. The ‘Pittsburgh’ ivies produce axillary shoots in autumn and are increasingly found as garden escapes. A copy of the front-cover of a forthcoming booklet was also displayed. Any feedback from it will contribute to an article in BSBI News.

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A field of Yellow Bartsia on the Kintyre Peninsula, VC101 Ian Teesdale

A Scottish site for Parentucellia viscosa on the Kintyre Peninsula (VC101) was described in the exhibit. A small quantity of P. viscosa had been recorded by A.G. Kenneth, presumably from this site, in 1971, but they were evidently overlooked by fieldworkers for the New Atlas in the 1990s. There is now a very large population at the site. Photographs of the site and P. viscosa were exhibited, together with a list of other plants species recorded from the site.

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Plants new to VC84 (West Lothian) Jackie Muscott

In September Paul Stanley from the Isle of Wight sent me details of rare plants noted in the gravel of the overflow car park at Bo’ness Station, and this triggered a number of visits to the Bo’ness area, resulting in 4 plants new to VC84 (on display):- Epilobium tetragonum Bo’ness Station, Senecio inaequidens – Bo’ness Station, Neslia paniculata – rough corner SE of Bo’ness, Hirschfeldia incana – west of the lagoon, Kinneil Kerse.

Paul’s visit also resulted in a second site for one of the VC’s threatened plants Scleranthus annuus. It is doing very well at the previously known site – barish patches on the Ochiltree Hills (photographs were exhibited). Another threatened plant Gentianella campestris was also visited at its only known site, Hound Point. It was thought to be on the verge of extinction. In fact there were nearly 500 plants, some with as many as 100 flowers (photographs were exhibited).

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Northern matters VC106 (Easter Ross) Barbara and Brian Ballinger

Arctostaphylos alpinus has a very northern distribution in the UK and has been recorded in 44 E. Ross tetrads since 2000. Oxytropis halleri has diminished in quantity in its 3 coastal sites in the vice-county in recent years and possible causes are discussed. New northern limits for Salicornia dolichostachya and Potentilla neumanniana (tabernaemontani) are reported. An unusual Ranunculus without petals and possibly of hybrid origin, was found in a lochan by Strathpeffer. New sites for Polystichum lonchitis, which is locally scarce, are described. The importance of recording other species when visiting remote sites is emphasised, using the example of moths.

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Mosses new to Britain and/or Scotland, from the past year
David Chamberlain, Liz Kungu, David Long, Gordon Rothero

The past twelve months have proved to be particularly bryologically productive, with the addition or confirmation of four new native species to the Flora of Scotland, two of which were also new to Britain. While it is tempting to infer that some of these records may reflect climatic change, it seems more likely that all four have in the past been simply over looked.

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Some recent Cumbrian records Geoffrey Halliday

The exhibit comprised specimens of the under-recorded Sanguisorba minor subsp. muricata, Populus nigra subsp. betulifolia showing the distinctive spiral petiolar galls, a variant of Cirsium arvense with unarmed and wingless stems, Lactuca serriola - now at the end of its M6 journey near the Border, and two aliens Chiastophyllum oppositifolium (not listed in Clement & Foster) and Silene fimbriata, otherwise only known now from Islay.

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Overlooked residents of West Sutherland Pat and Ian Evans

The flora of VC108 continues to surprise us, as do our friends. In May, Robin Noble found Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina in a dry valley behind Inchnadamph, the first record since 1894 and a new locality. In June, Sir David Dupree came across a flourishing population of Ray's Knotgrass Polygonum oxyspermum ssp. raii on a sandy beach near Melness, the only known locality on the north coast. In August Dr Colin Leakey spotted a large stand of the former medicinal herb Elecampane Inula helenium on the Loch a'Mhuilinn NNR. It appears to be long-established at this site, but has never before been recorded from West Sutherland. Associated with it is Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea, a rare plant so far north, always found near human habitation; it also had medicinal uses and was used to flavour beer. David Pearman has recently drawn our attention to a 1959 record of Great Horsetail Equisetum telmateia from 1000ft up a remote area east of Loch Loyal. It escaped the Atlas and its continued presence requires confirmation, if anyone would like the challenging task for 2009.

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Green-flowered Helleborine (Epipactis phyllanthes) in north Cumbria Jeremy Roberts

A colony of 30 plants of Green-flowered Helleborine (Epipactis phyllanthes) found in north Cumbria is new to VC70, with the species otherwise known in Cumbria only from sand-dunes in the southwest of the county in VC69. The nearest known sites are in fact in Northumberland (VC67), although these are not of variety vectensis, to which the new colony appears referable. The plants are associated with beech, as is typical of variety vectensis. Some plants are very well-developed, with four plants over 50 cm tall.

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Caithness Plants Ken Butler

Poa compressa was a new vice-county record found near Lybster during the BSBI Meeting in July. It was found by Slavomira Zlaka who is new to the Society. It is often found on walls further south but here was on a natural rocky bank. Persicaria campanulata was a new neophyte vice-county record found established in a roadside lay-by near Watten. It is not unusual to find garden surplus “planted” by the roadside. Goodyera repens is a second vice-county record found under planted conifers in Dunnet Forest. This was an artificially planted forest in 1960 and the nearest natural source of seed is about 60 miles away. The survey of a large area of Gentianella campestris on Greenland Links was exhibited; it is part of the Threatened Plants Project trial surveys. Remote areas such as Caithness, where this plant is thriving, are important because the species seems to be threatened in many other places.

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Plant records from Roxburgh (VC80) and Selkirk (VC79) Rod Corner

The following were shown from VC79: Viola canina x riviniana = V. x intersita (Heath x Common Dog Violet) as a new VC record in the absence of V. canina, Utricularia minor (Lesser Bladderwort) from a second extant site, Alchemilla glomerulans (an arctic-alpine Ladies-mantle) as a fairly recent colonist of old river gravel in an hectad in which it had become extinct and Elodea nuttallii (Nuttall’s Waterweed) as a first VC record from a “wild” habitat remote from habitation.

The following were shown from Roxburgh: Melica nutans (Mountain or Nodding Melick) rare in South-East Scotland and in quantity from a new site, Carex divulsa ssp. leersii (Leers Sedge) from the edge of a forest track in a new site with stems to 1.5m tall, Myosotis stolonifera (Pale Forget-me-not) as a second and new extant site from an area where it was last seen 28 years ago and thought to be extinct, Potamogeton coloratus (Fen Pondweed) confirmed from a site from which it was known a century ago and Cytisus striatus (Hairy-fruited Broom) from old road-side planting and over looked for a number of years but with no sign of becoming established.

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Fife specialties George Ballantyne

The exhibit “Some East Fife Coastal Crackers!” featured photographs of Sea Pea, (Lathyrus japonicus), Rock Samphire (Crinthmum maritima) (both new VC records), Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), Sea Mugwort (Artemisia maritima) and Sea Beet (Beta maritima). Also exhibited were pairs of related species, comprising “Two Leggy Legumes” Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. carpatica) and Tall Common Vetch (Vicia sativa ssp. sativa); “Two Long-lived Rockets” Perennial Wall Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) and Perennial Rocket (Sisymbrium strictissimum); “Rare Rushes” Compact Rush (Juncus compressus), a new VC record, and Baltic Rush (Juncus balticus); “Two Mysterious Mints” Scottish Mint (Mentha scotica) and another close relative in Mentha spicata agg.

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Isles of Bute and Cumbrae (VC100) Angus Hannah

Scleranthus annuus was one of the target species for this year’s Threatened Plant project. Three previously know sites on Bute, with small populations, had been checked out. In October, a very much larger population was found by accident, with more than 500 plants. All the Bute sites are on gravelly tracks in the vicinity of feeders where out-wintering cattle get silage. A location map and photos were exhibited.

Subsequent to last year’s field meeting, a check-list of Cumbrae plants has been published, and copies were offered for sale. This follows the format of the author’s Bute booklet, with notes on frequency, habitat and status, as well as including all species recorded on the island in the past. Cumbrae was botanised by the Victorians more thoroughly than the other Clyde islands, and several lists were published. Cumbrae has a remarkably rich flora for its size, which is the equivalent of 3 tetrads, with over 570 species recorded in the last two decades and a further hundred historically.

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Committee Members
(2008- 2009)

Chairman: Chris Miles
Vice-chairman: Lindsay Mackinlay
Secretary/Treasurer: Jane Squirrell
Meetings secretary: Mark Watson
Exhibition secretary: Alistair Godfrey
Committee member: Dot Dahl
Committee member: Luke Gaskell
Committee member: Barbara Ballinger
Committee member: Jane Jones
Committee member: Martin Robinson

Representing BSS: vacant
Representing Plantlife: Deborah Long
Representing National Trust for Scotland: Lindsay Mackinlay
Representing Forestry Commission Scotland: vacant
Representing SNH: Robin Payne

Attending: Jim McIntosh, BSBI Scottish Officer

BSBI Scottish Committee Meetings

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Last updated : November 18, 2008