DAISY-LIKE CULTIVARS AND THE NAMES OF WILD RELATIVES -PART FOUR, LATE SUMMER FLOWERS

In this series of hubs I have looked at many species of the daisy family Asteraceae, which many gardeners choose to brighten their gardens, such as the two types in the above photographs. However, I have been concentrating on their wild relatives that adorn the countryside. In this hub we look at the those that may be encountered during the late summer months.

Many of the species have been used in herbal medicine for centuries thus are part of our cultural history. I will commence with a very common flower that is often dismissed as dandelions-the cat's ear. The flowers are indeed like those of the dandelion being yellow and composed of strap-shaped florets.

The flower heads are 2-3cm [one to one and a half inches} wide. However, there the similarity stops. The stems although leafless do have tiny dark coloured bracts that are very similar in shape to a cat's ear, hence the common name. The foliage is also very distinctive and after that of the dandelion one of the easiest to identify. These basal leaves form a rosette on the ground. Each leaf is "oblong" in shape and lobed  along the margins , they are covered in fine hairs. {those of the dandelion have no hairs}.

Others in this group with dandelion like blooms include the hawkweeds, hawkbits and hawkbeards. These are more difficult to identify. The smooth hawk'sbeard Crepis capillaris has many branched flowering stems with small flower heads that are made up of yellow ray florets tinged orangey-red beneath. Below the florets there are two sets of green bracts one longer than the other. The flower heads are 1-1.5cm wide{three quarters of an inch}and may be encountered in July until September.{locally}.

Many of these species have similar flower heads and are therefore better identified by their foliage. However, those species that dwell in grassy places tend to have their foliage concealed by the longer grasses. Thus we have to follow the stem down to ground level and try to move the grass to one side to determine which species it is. The foliage of the smooth hawk's-beard which form the loose rosette are long and narrow tapering to a point. They are lobed with terminal points. The foliage on the stem are small and clasping, arranged alternately. The plant attains the height of 30-80cm { one to two and a half feet.}

The autumn Hawk-bit, Leontodon autumnalis which flowers from July until October with flower heads of yellow florets which have red stripes beneath. Under the flower heads are tiny bracts. The basal foliage are long and linear with long thin lobes. The foliage is hairless. They are similar to the Mouse ear hawk-weed Pilosella officinarium in bloom but the foliage is simple {not toothed or lobed}. This species sends out runners like the strawberry which root at intervals allowing colonies to form. They were once used to treat diarrhoea . Externally they were utilised for making a gargle for mouth and throat infections.

The common hawk-weed.Hieracium vulgatum,.-The hawkweeds are a complex group of plants which are divided into various sub species and even micro-species. The common hawkweed has basal leaves that are that are oval to lance-shaped with a short stalk. They are toothed but never lobed. The leafless flower stems that hold clusters of bright yellow flower heads at their summit. These measure 2-3 cm wide. The green bracts beneath them are hairy. They attain the height of 30-80cm. They prefer dry rocky places that has grass about them.

Now we turn to the late summer flowers that have daisy like flowers rather than those of the dandelion form. The first plant we meet will be familiar with may gardeners the Yarrow Achemilla millefolium

Many of the cultivated varieties have purple flowers of different shades. While those of the wild variety have white flowers with various tinges. The flowers of the wild yarrow are 4-8mm broad forming dense umbel -like clusters. The ray florets of these small flower heads are white or with a pinkish hue while the central tubular florets are of a yellowish white colour.

Yarrow attains the height of up to 60cm { 2 feet} in the wild, under normal growing conditions. Again it is the foliage of this species that is readily identifiable. The leaves are stiff and feather like composed of a plethora of small leaflets which may produce leaflets of their own. The species name of millefolium translates as a thousand leaves, and refers to the many leaflets.

The flowering season is from July till October where they dwell in grassy sites, meadows , pastures, roadside verges, and they are often encountered in old church yards. Yarrow is one of the oldest known wound herbs. The Anglo-Saxon's employed it to clean wounds caused by the broad bladed swords which were common in that period. These wounds were often compounded by grease which was wiped on the blades to stop them rusting. Yarrow with its binding and anti septic qualities helped to heal such wounds. 

The leaves are very binding and are used to treat diarrhoea. Because of this binding affect the fresh leaves were applied to wounds and then covered by a dressing. The dried flowers were infused to treat the symptoms of colds and flu. The leaves have a peppery flavour and can be added to salads. They can be added to meat dishes as they cook. An infusion of the leaves can be applied externally as a lotion to treat and clean wounds. The infusion of the leaves makes a tea said to be soothing and a tonic.

From a distance especially in grass land our next subject can be mistaken for yarrow especially where they grow together. The sneezewort, Achemilla ptarmica. However, closer observation will reveal many differences.

The scentless leaves are small and narrow, simple {not lobed or divided} but they are finely toothed. They are arranged on the stem alternately. The roots of this plant were once crushed into a powder and taken in the manner of snuff. This caused violent sneezing which cleared the head. Hence its common name. In his herbal published in the 1500s John Gerard claimed that even smelling the flowers was enough to make a man sneeze.

other [plants in this family that may be encountered late in the year are fleabane,golden rod,tansy and nipplewort. The latter is so called because the closed flower buds were said to resemble the shape of a nipple. In early Medieval times the belief in the "doctrine of Signatures" was strong.This meant that divine intervention had given the plants a sign, either in form or by colour, of the disease they were meant to cure. Thus the nipplewort was used to treat ulcerated nipples by herbalist of that period.

This common plant of shady places has small yellow flower heads composed of yellow ray florets which are arranged loosely in branched clusters at the top of thin wiry stems. The flower heads being 1-2cm wide. They may be encountered along pathways, woodland edges and on waste ground in shady aspects. The foliage of the lower leaves are broad with lobes. The toothed upper leaves are lance-shaped.

Over the series I have tried to show the diversity of this large family of flowering plants by sharing with the reader a broad range of flora. Because of the size of this family there have been omissions which have been inevitable.  Others, to do them justice, merit hubs of their own. These and many others wild flora will be dealt with in much more detail in future hubs.

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