SHEEP'S-BIT

Jasione montana

Bellflower Family [Campanulaceae]  

month8May month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8azure
inner
inner8green
morph
morph8hemizygo
petals
petalsZ5
type
typeZclustered
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8square
stem
stem8ribbed

20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IoM.
Photo: © RWD
Sheep's-bit amongst Cat's-ear, Thrift and English Stonecrop.


22nd Aug 2007, Penmaen Mawr, Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Photo: © RWD


8th June 2007, Greenside Mines, Glenridding, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
Un-opened florets. The green triangular sepals also have hairs.


22nd Aug 2007, Penmaen Mawr, Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
When the florets open, the five petals are of un-equal length.


20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IoM. Date, place, where Photo: © RWD
It seems to have a (ridged) square stem, that is also round in places. Strange that no other book refers to this.


8th June 2007, Greenside Mines, Glenridding, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD


8th June 2007, Greenside Mines, Glenridding, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD


22nd Aug 2007, Penmaen Mawr, Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Photo: © RWD


22nd Aug 2007, Penmaen Mawr, Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Photo: © RWD


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD
The sepals and bracts behind the flower are wider than other flowers with similar flowers such as Field Scabious, Small Scabious, Devil's-bit Scabious. The flowers are somewhat different too in both colour and floret shapes.


22nd Aug 2007, Penmaen Mawr, Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves hairy too.


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD
Ooops, one came away in my hand, to the benefit of all readers (and himself). This plant has 10 flowers on long branches. The flower atop the main stem has gone to seed (top left). The stem was amazingly contorted around other vegetation such as grasses. There are very few leaves on the very long flowering stalk, and they are short and nearly linear. There are many leaves and leaflets on the main stem as it bears branches.


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD
The leaves and leaflets near the root of the main stem (your Author was careful to leave the root in the ground, so it can live another day).


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD
In places the stem is roundish with ridges (and many white hairs). The leaves are linear. There are far fewer hairs on the long flowering stalks (top, left of centre, and bottom, left of centre).)


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Cumbria Photo: © RWD
In other places the main stem is decidedly square.


20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IoM. Photo: © RWD
A sun-reddened plant. Stem very hairy.


Superficial resemblance to : several Scabious flowers (Devil's-bit Scabious, Field Scabious and Small Scabious), not least in name. They also have much the same colour. However, Sheep's-bit belongs to the Bellflower family whereas the Scabious flowers belong to the Teasel Family.

Distinguishing Feature : When in flower, a mass of short narrow ribbon-like azure or sky-blue petals sticking out in a hemi-sphere like a pin-cushion.

The stem appears to be both square with ridges near the single flower-head and round where the lower stem leaves are.


  Jasione montana  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Campanulaceae  

Distribution
family8Bellflower family8Campanulaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Jasione
Jasione
(Sheep's-bit)

SHEEP'S-BIT

Jasione montana

Bellflower Family [Campanulaceae]  

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