Settle Wildflowers - Day 39 - Yellow 11 - Lady's-Mantles - Hay Meadow 4

Lady's-mantles - There are 15 species of Lady's-mantle in Stace (1991) and maybe more in a newer edition.

Lady's-mantles are apomictic - producing seed wholly female in origin without fertilization,

What do you think it is that makes Dales Hay Meadows special?

It is a sign that a a Dales Hay Meadow is species rich and that it has traditional plants if it has one or several species of Lady's-mantle. (excluding the big hairy garden escape - Garden Lady's-mantle Alchemilla mollis)

In the "National Vegetation Classification" there are many different types of neutral grassland. They are all called MG.. something with a number.  One of them is "MG3". This type is often referred to as "Dales Hay Meadow Grassland" . It is the presence of one or several species of wild Lady's-mantles that is one characteristic feature of such grasslands.

The commonest ones around Settle are

Alchemilla glabra
Alchemilla xanthochlora
Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita

(and the easily recognisable Alchemilla glaucescens with its silky hairs on the undersurface of its leaves which featured in Day 33)

Alchemilla mollis Garden Lady's-mantle

First let's deal with the the Garden Alchemilla which is NOT a hay-meadow species - and which is increasing in abundance in the wild - e.g. it has appeared along the boardwalk at Malham Tarn Fen and beside the Tarn; it covers a big flat area beyond the car park at Langcliffe Hoffman kiln. This photo was taken at the margin between Settle petrol station car park and the viaduct.

This has big leaves. It is very hairy on the petioles and both sides of the leaves.

Alchemilla xanthochlora

The upper surface of the leaf is hairless or with very sparse hairs between the folds. The under-surface of the blade has patent or erecto-patent hairs. The inflorescence glabrous (i.e. hairy) or nearly so.

Alchemilla xanthochlora - on the path by the Ribble to Stainforth

Alchemilla glabra 

This is hairless on the upper and lower surface of the leaves and hairless on the flowers. (The lowest internodes of the stem can be hairy)

The sinuses between the leaf-lobes are toothed to the base; teeth in middle of each side of leaf lobes are larger than the teeth above and the teeth below.

This Alchemilla glauca was on Mitchell Lane half a mile up from Settle

Alchemilla glauca

Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita

This as well a s being hairy on both sides of the blades is hairy on the pedicels and hypanthium (Bottom of the flower)

There is red on the lower stipules (sometimes) and in this picture you can see red on the lowest part of the shoot.

Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita

Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita

Alchemilla filicaulis ssp vestita - see hairs on the pedicels and bottom of calyx/hypanthium

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This plant below below didn't quite fit .

It keyed out till the last two options were A xanthochlora or a

A acutiloba 

Then the leaf shape fitted A acutiloba much better: Leaf lobed +- straight-sided then rounded to subtruncate at apex, with teeth in the middle if each side larger than those above or below. 

Alchemilla acutiloba

The plant below keyed out as Alchemilla acutiloba, but as that Alchemilla acutiloba, only supposed to be found in County Durham, it must be something else. It was by the path from Langcliffe up to Lower Winskill, in the wood pasture, below the cairn

Any advice from an expert?

Ah well, Lady's-mantles have a reputation for being awkward.