MARSH CUDWEED

Gnaphalium uliginosum

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

Flowers:
month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

Pappus: pappusZpossible (off-white, short, simple)
pappus8aug pappus8sep pappus8sept pappus8oct pappus8nov

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8yellow
inner
inner8brown
petals
petalsZ0
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8angular

6th July 2018, farmers field, Eskdale Green, Eskdale Valley, Lake Dist. Photo: © RWD
A low bushy annual growing decumbent or erect from 5cm to 25cm in all sorts of damp bare ground such as in arable fields or by ponds and streams.


6th July 2018, farmers field, Eskdale Green, Eskdale Valley, Lake Dist Photo: © RWD


1st Sept 2018, Moore Nature Reserve, Warrington, Cheshire. Photo: © RWD


1st Sept 2018, Moore Nature Reserve, Warrington, Cheshire. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are linear-lanceolate. The flowers are in dense clusters at the top of the plant, having between 3 to 10 flowerheads per cluster.


27th July, 2016, Bigland Tarn, Newby Bridge, Hatherthwaite, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
A many-branched plant which is densely covered in white/grey hairs appressed to the leaves and stems.


31st Aug 2011, Elenwydd Wilderness, Mid Wales. Photo: © RWD
Flowers in crowded clusters nestling in the crook of the several narrow angled leaves on each of the branched whitish-green cottony stems.


31st Aug 2011, Elenwydd Wilderness, Mid Wales. Photo: © RWD
The leaves at the top of each flowering cluster over-top the flowers.


12th July 2014, Wigg Island, Runcorn. Photo: © RWD
Flowers in small clusters and lacking ray-florets, consisting only of disc-florets surrounded by their phyllaries which the books say are brown but they are at first dark-green.


12th July 2014, Wigg Island, Runcorn. Photo: © RWD
Never fully opening, the flowers are small and cupped by many phyllaries.


27th July, 2016, Bigland Tarn, Newby Bridge, Hatherthwaite, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
The tips of the topmost phyllaries splay outwards a bit. The cluster of disc florets within them are in two groups; the inner ones are wider and bisexual whilst the outer ones are female and thinner. The flowers never open.


1st Sept 2018, Moore Nature Reserve, Warrington, Cheshire. Photo: © RWD
Most books claim that the phyllaries surrounding the flowerhead are pale-brown, but they start off dark-green as here!


31st Aug 2011, Elenwydd Wilderness, Mid Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves densely cottony-hairy on both sides of the leaves, but especially on the underside; the upperside is greener.


2nd July 2011, Saltmills, Ireland. Photo: © RWD
The pappus is simple with the few white hairs attached directly to the seed below and in the centre.


12th July 2014, Wigg Island, Runcorn. Photo: © RWD
The pappus (top left corner) has off-white simple hairs attached to seeds. (Most of the other pappii have blown away in the wind leaving the pale-brown receptacles splayed out)


12th July 2014, Wigg Island, Runcorn. Photo: © RWD
Centre: the pale brown receptacle (centre) which is splayed-out like petals are what remains after the seeds (which are on hairs aka pappii) have flown the nest.


6th July 2018, farmers field, Eskdale Green, Eskdale Valley, Lake Dist Photo: © RWD
After the pappii have flown the nest fawny-brown tissues remain (centre of photo)


In contradiction to its common name Marsh Cudweed is not a marsh plant, but grows in all sorts of bare damp ground such as in fields, on arable land, heaths, woodland rides, beside ponds and by paths. It is a native and the commonest Cudweed. It grows on seasonally flooded clay or on acidic sandy soils.

Some similarities to : many other Cudweeds such as Jersey Cudweed (Gnaphalium luteoalbum), Highland Cudweed (Gnaphalium norvegicum), American Cudweed (Gnaphalium purpureum), Dwarf Cudweed (Gnaphalium supinum), Heath Cudweed (Gnaphalium sylvaticum), Small Cudweed (Logfia minima) and Cape Cudweed (Gnaphalium undulatum) but Marsh Cudweed is the only one to be found in damp grounds, either bare or grassy (this paragraph using their old genera names - see below).

After recent reassessment by taxonomists in the 2010 to 2020 decade, Marsh Cudweed is now the only Cudweed to be left in the Gnaphalium genus. All the rest have been dispersed into 5 new genera! Oh! - it all makes work for the working man to do.


  Gnaphalium uliginosum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Asteraceae  

Distribution
 family8Daisy & Dandelion family8Asteraceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Gnaphalium
Gnaphalium
(Cudweeds)

MARSH CUDWEED

Gnaphalium uliginosum

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]