Settle Wildflowers 136: Greenfoot Car Park: Carex spicata, Epilobium ciliatum and luxuriant weeds

Having exhausted Ashfield Car Park, for the present, for finding "Plants in flower that have come in",  I set off for Green Foot Car Park; at 7pm Mon 3 June to avoid the parking charges. It was rather a grey evening

I found: - A host of weeds most not quite yet flowering yet, with Exceedingly Super luxuriant growth - I'll talk about them lower down.

My key delight was a tuft of Carex spicata  (map) growing at the tarmac kirb near the speed traffic hump separating the two halves of the car park. I have not found this in Settle before.

Carex spicata has dark green long leaves,  4-6mm wide and grows in a tuft, often beside footpaths.  The base of the stem is supposed to be reddish/purplish.  The head consists of several spiky spikes.

The utricle is distinctive in that there is a spongey bit at its base (the bottom third in the utricle above is whitish - the middle third that is brownish is where the nutlet is, and the top third is the utricle beak. 

I know two places where it still might grow in SD86 and two more places where I have seen it but it no longer grows. Definitely a new plant to add to my Lockdown list... though it most probably wasn't there in 2020. 

 Back the the weeds.

 I surmise their luxuriance is due to

rich soil,

lots and lots of rain since March

Lack of competition from other species (I wondered what had happened to the Chenopodiums and Atriplexes I had seen maybe two years ago.. though there is a lot of small "Fat Hen"  plants just starting to grow, and maybe they are late growing plants).

(I wondered if they (the council?)  have herbicided out previous weeds? - thereby reducing competition. The main planned vegetation is shrubs and trees) 

I puzzled over the Willowherbs: odd patches of Rosebay and Greater Willowherb yes, and one plant of Broadleaved Willowherb (very common garden weed round here).

But there was lots of another Willowherb, bordering the tarmac and in patches of soil, which I conclude is just VERY large American Willoherb - Epilobium ciliatum.  

I found this very helpful BSBI willowherb key:  (Thank you Bob Leaney).  BSBI willowherb key:  (Thank you Bob Leaney)

My American willowherb Epilobium ciliatum had a club shaped stigma, petioles that are 3mm longs, a squarish stem in some places, and almost cordate (heart shaped) bases to some of its leaves. and fine, erect, very short but glandular hairs on its stem.

In contrast a similar plant (that has been recorded in this part of Settle) - is Epilobium roseum which is very similar but has petioles longer than 4mm and has leaf base that are more cuneate. Both species are only supposed to grow to 75cm, and these plants were over 1m tall - but then so were the creeping thistles, false oat grass and sycamore saplings. 

Other weeds growing but not yet in flower are: Sticky Groundsel, Fat Hen, Creeping Thistle, Greater Willowherb, Rosebay Willowherb, False Oat-grass, Miscanthus (planted?) Broad-leaved Willowherb. 

Index of Wildflowers around Settle posts