Settle Wildflowers - Day 33 - Yellow 5 - Limestone Specialities

1.  Spring Cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana) 
2.  Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) 
3.  Glaucescent Lady's Mantle.(Alchemilla glaucescens)

Some of the special plants we have around Settle are here because they grow in specialised habitats. One such specialised habitat is shallow limestone soils, and cliff crevices - especially south facing ones. 

- They grow where vigorous plants cannot grow because the soils dry out. (And yes soils are drying out this year!!)

1. Spring Cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana)

Spring Cinquefoil - I took this picture in the evening - 6pm on 2 May - so the petals beginning curl up

See how the leaves have five leaflets

The soil was getting dry.  We are having a drought.  Other species on the shallow soil are suffering a lot. But Spring Cinquefoil seems quite happy

Here is a picture in the same area but taken in the middle of the afternoon and the petals are open (18 May 2010)

Distribution of Spring Cinquefoil - from BSBI maps

The Spring Cinquefoil comes out a week before its close relative Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). And on 2 May Tormentil was not out, so it was a good time to look for Spring Cinquefoil. Below is a picture of Tormentil (which I will cover in a c 3 days time) - this just has 4 petals and the leaves do not have 5 leaflets. Tormentil will grow for a much longer season and usually on much thicker and slightly more acid soil.

2. Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)

This really is a more southern species and it chooses south facing slopes. This photo was taken on 2 May. But it is still flowering now (27 May)

 Horseshoe Vetch: Habitat shot - on cliffs with Blue Moor-grass

3.  Glaucescent Lady's Mantle.(Alchemilla glaucescens)

There are several different wild species of Ladies Mantle in the Dales. This is a rarish species, It seems to grow well on rocky  footpaths through limestone grassland. It has small leaves, The under surface of the leaves is hairy but the hairs are straight and appressed (not curved) and look silvery - the hairs frame the edge of the leaf. 

Glaucescent Lady's-mantle flowers - The are small. 

  

There are others in this category - special plants on shallow limestone soil or south facing cliff ledges that are just coming out

4. - Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) and
5. - Rockrose - (Helianthemum nummularium) But I shall present them tomorrow

Click here for more flowers coming out around Settle