Grasses | Hedge Bushes | Roses
GRASSES
These are the commonest wildflowers. There are between 150 and 160 species in Britain, and it is unclear exactly how many are in Ireland. Each flower consists of 3 stamens and a central ovary crowned by 2 feathery stigmas. Each little flower is enclosed in a pair of pale-coloured scales, the lemma and the palea. The florets are grouped in spikelets. The leaves are composed of two parts; the leaf blade and a basal sheath which encircles the stem. Where the two join there is a small scale called the ‘ligule’ which lies tightly against the stem.
Oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) is most at home in the hedgerow. Farmers dislike it as it gets into their corn.
Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) is easy to recognise by its fat purple flower-heads with spiky lobes. It is supposed to resemble the foot of a fowl. The stalk comes away easily and you can nibble the white base which is full of sugar.
You will be familiar with Cuckoo Spit on long grasses. This is a patch of foam on many hedge plants. If it is smeared flat a little yellow creature can be found – the larva of the common froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). It belongs to the family that includes aphids and scale insects which feed by sucking plant juices through their sharp mouths. They have big hind legs letting them hop. The ‘spit’ protects the larva from predators and from desiccation while it sits feeding. Cuckoo spit, and the larvae within them, are not dangerous to plants or wildlife as a recent viral internet post would lead people to believe. Back to top
HEDGE BUSHES
Elder (Sambucus nigra) is in flower this month. It loves the phosphates in old compost heaps and is often found with privet by the ruins of roadside cottage. Its berries can be used for wine, while the flower blossoms can be used to make a cordial which is good for the blood. Back to top
ROSES
There are 90 genera in the family of Rosaceae, 17 of which can be found in Ireland.
Burnet rose (Rosa spinosissima) is about 30 cm in height, and flowers in June. The stems are completely covered with many straight thorns of different lengths and the flower is a single white or pink rose. It has five wide petals and the styles hardly protect from the many stamens. The fruit or hips is black. It has a strong smell and can be found in hedges by the sea.
Dog Rose (Rosa canina) is often found growing in native hedgerows. The flowers are white or pink and the stigmas make a short, round group in the middle of the flower.
Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa) loves lime-rich soil. The flowers are deep pink and the leaves when torn smell of apples. Back to top
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