8/5/10: Oxleas Wood

A strong turnout on today's London Natural History Society field meeting, starting from Falconwood railway station.

This Yellow Archangel, now more often seen in it's variegated form as a garden escape, was seen in woodland on the east side of Rochester Way, heading north away from Falconwood railway station. Unfortunately there were several Giant Hogweed plants here.

There was a Star of Bethlehem, identified as subspecies umbellatum, near the junction of Rochester Way and Welling Way.

A single plant of Tellima grandiflora, the sweetly-scented Rhododendron luteum and the garden form of Solomon's Seal were other 'exotics' found.

Having not been in these woods for around 30 years since (I think) I was stunned by the number of Wild Service trees (Sorbus torminalis) a very uncommon species, especially near Shooter's Hill. In some places it was the dominant tree, at least at medium height.

Hypericum maculatum was found along one of the woodland edges.

We had some grass/sedge experts with us and a number of species were identified including Luzula forsteri , L. pilosa, L. sylvatica, Remote Sedge, Wood Sedge, Wood Millet and Wood Melick,

19/10/09: Eltham Park north - Wild Service trees

I hadn't been through Eltham Park North before, and only traversed a couple of paths just to the north of the railway line.

There was no sign of the Gorse, Broom or Wood Spurge that can be seen below, on the cutting bank on the north side of the railway line just west of Falconwood station.

The most interesting find was a circa 6 foot tall Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis) and two small seedlings very close by, though there was no sign of a mature tree. Perhaps there is a specimen in the mixed plantings along the side of the A2 on the other side of the railway line, from which the seed might have come? But three together, of different size, seemed odd - unless they were suckers of a long since disappeared adult. There were also a number of Swedish Whitebeam.



Three Wild Service trees - a sapling and two apparent seedlings - growing in close proximity in Eltham Park North

Beside the Swedxish Whitebeam , other non-native trees were Sweet Chestnut, mature Turkey Oak and some Norway Maple seedlings.

Nice bracket fungus on an old sawn log

This hollow old Oak, which some moron had at some point lit a fire inside, was still alive

Tar Spot fungus (Rhytisma acerinum) on Sycamore

The 'field' at the western end of the side, immediatly north of the railway line, had clearly been managed so as to allow a large circle of long grass and herbs to develop over the summer, bisected by a wide mown path with a circle at its centre. Plants found here included a couple of Black Knapweed, Ribwort Plantain, Sorrel, Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) and Bird's-foot Trefoil.

There were Mallard and 5 Moorhen in and around the pond beyond, and from here, fine views towards Canary Wharf and central London bathed in the afternoon sun.

26/7/09: Wild Service - tree, chequers and beer

The Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis), a member of the Rose family, is quite rare in Britain. I've seen two in Lesnes Abbey Woods. I guess there might be a few more.

It is said not to ripen fruit too well in this country, and to spread mainly by suckers.

One of the specimens is found in the heathland area, and is pictured here, including a branch carrying fruit. Unfortunately someone (who, one suspects, didn't know what they were doing) has 'tidied' around the base of the multi-stemmed plant by cutting several thinner stems close to the ground.

The fruit - called chequers - is edible, but is supposed to be bletted (allowed to become 'over-ripe'), after which it is claimed that they taste like dates.

The cluster of 3+5 thinnish stems across the centre of the picture are the Wild Service Tree

Leaves and fruit

There appears to be some debate as to whether the public house name 'Chequers' is of Roman origin, with a checker-board pattern signifying a place that also provided banking services, is derived from the game checkers (draughts) played on such a board or the name of the friut of this tree (which one reference I've found says has in the past been used to flavour beer).

At any rate, here's an old (closed) pub called the 'The Chequers', not far from Lesnes Abbey Woods, on Picardy Rd., Belvedere ....

For more about the Wild Service Tree see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_torminalis