NARROW-FRUITED CORNSALAD

Valerianella dentata

Valerian Family [Valerianaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

status
statusZarchaeophyte
 
flower
flower8bicolour
 
flower
flower8white
 
flower
flower8pink
 
inner
inner8azure inner8blue inner8lilac
 
morph
morph=HemiZygo
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZclustered
lax
stem
stem8square
 
stem
stem8ribbed
 

rarity
rarityZuncommon
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 
sex
sexZdioecious
 

unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Peter Stroh
Very similar in uprightness and in the sparsity of flowers in each group to Broad-Fruited Cornsalad. The plant reaches up to 15cm (up to 40cm occasionally). But the subtended angle of the first fork in the stem is much greater than is that for Broad-Fruited Cornsalad (at least in this specimen). The leaves are similar too, but may be a little wider in Narrow-fruited Cornsalad(?).


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Peter Stroh
The flowers are mostly white and in well-separated very-small groupings. But the inflorescences can instead be dense, so this feature is not diagnostic, as many features are not on Cornsalads.


23rd June 2012, Ranscombe Farm, Longhoe field. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is the fruit which are diagnostic on all Cornsalads. Narrow-fruited Cornsalad has a similar gourd-shape as do the fruit of Broad-Fruited Cornsalad, apart from the longer neck which also flares slightly outwards and has more teeth around the periphery.


23rd June 2012, Ranscombe Farm, Longhoe field. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Specifically, compared to the similar Broad-Fruited Cornsalad, the fruit can be slightly shorter at 1.5 to only 2mm long, a more slender 0.6 to 0.8mm wide and a slimmer 0.7 to 1.2mm broad. The fertile cell has a spongy wall (not spongy on Broad-Fruited Cornsalad) and the sterile cells are collapsed to just 2 abaxial ridges.


23rd June 2012, Ranscombe Farm, Longhoe field. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
There is usually one flower in the very first bifurcation which usually turns to fruit before the other flowers have, but the flowers at the tops have caught up here and also turned to fruit.


23rd June 2012, Ranscombe Farm, Longhoe field. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The stems are, as usual for Cornsalads, square(ish) and ribbed/fluted (take your pick).


unknown date, unknown place Photo: © Peter Stroh
Two fruits belonging to differing Cornsalads, the smaller fruit on the right is from Narrow-fruited Cornsalad [the larger fruit on the left is from Broad-Fruited Cornsalad]


Not to be semantically confused with : Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Corncockle (Agrostemma githago), Cornish Bugle (Ajuga genevensis), Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis), Corn Brome (Bromus squarrosus), Corn Cleavers (Galium tricornutum), Corn Marigold (Glebionis segetum), Corn Mint (Mentha arvensis), Corn Parsley (Petroselinum segetum), Corn Buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis), Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), Corn Mignonette (Reseda phyteuma) nor with Salad Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : Apparently only the seeds are dead-giveaways for which species it is, although there are some other physical differences between some of the Cornsalads that should give you a clue as to which species of Cornsalad it might be.


  Valerianella dentata  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Valerianaceae  

Distribution
 family8Valerian family8Valerianaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Valerianella
Valerianella
(Cornsalads)

NARROW-FRUITED CORNSALAD

Valerianella dentata

Valerian Family [Valerianaceae]