Grassland Plants Flashcards
Lathyrus nissolia – GRASS VETCHLING
Grass vetchling is a tall, erect annual with and angled stem to about 90cm. When in flower this striking plant is easy to identify, as it is the only member of the pea family with long narrow leaves (actually pseudo-leaves) The crimson-pink flowers are held solitarily or in pairs on long stalks from May to July
Grass vetchling is a native annual of open and often disturbed grasslands particularly chalk and chalky clay soils. Habitats include grassy banks, roadside verges, woodland rides and coastal grasslands
Rhinanthus minor - Yellow Rattle
Yellow rattle is a semi-parasitic, grassland annual. a serious pest for farmers as it weakens grasses and as a result can reduce hay yields by as much as 50%. In a landscape context however, this suppression of grass growth is welcomed as it produces a better display of wild flowers and eases the mowing required. At the end of each growing season as the annual yellow rattle plants die away they leave behind gaps into which new wild flowers can establish. As a result, wild flower seed sown into an existing sward will establish more readily in areas where yellow rattle already does well.
yellow rattle will not thrive in all grassland. The most suitable sites for yellow rattle will be managed grassland of low to medium fertility that contains a balanced sward of finer grasses not dominated by coarse or vigorous grass (ryegrass, cocksfoot, tall oat-grass or couch). Grassland that is the result of sowing a meadow mixture will have suitable grasses, as will finer turf in gardens and meadows. Yellow rattle often fails to take in ryegrass leys and neglected, over-grown or tussocky grassland.
Bugle - Ajuga reptans
The deep blue flower spikes of Bugle can be found carpeting damp grasslands, scrub and woodland clearings scrub and grassland on fertile soils. Spreading by means of overground runners that frequently root, it flowers between April and July and is attractive to a variety of insects including White-tailed Bumblebees, Green-veined White Butterflies, Silver Y Moths and Common Carder Bees.
How to identify
Low-growing and creeping, Bugle has larger, oval leaves spread out in a rosette at its base and smaller leaves that grow up its flower spike; small purple flowers sprout in between the leaves. The flowers are shaped like skirted ladies, often with faint stripes running down them and with protruding stamen poking out over the top.
