Climbers List |
Poppy [Papaveraceae] |
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24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
A straggly floppy annual that requires the presence of surrounding plants or walls for support, when it is able to reach a metre high. Ramping rampantly. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Growing amidst the glaucous leaves of garden flowers. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
It has thin un-supportive stems which branch, atop of which is a short spike of pinkish flowers. It lacks tendrils for grip, preferring instead to brush up against neighbouring plants. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Without support it sprawls along the ground. The length of stem occupied by the flowers equals that of the stalk. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Nestling nicely between stout leaves it manages to stand upright. Un-like Common Fumitory, which has somewhat glaucous leaves, Common Ramping-Fumitory has mid-green leaves. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
An upper section isolated from its organic climbing frame so the viewer can see what's what. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
There are only about a dozen flowers in the 'spike' compared with about 20 for Common Funitory. The flowers are mainly lilac in colour, somewhat tubular, tapering slightly near the end before widening slightly into two lips, which are dark-red. The flowers of Common Funitoryhave darker tips. |
22nd May 2015, Alt Rifle Range, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Another specimen from elsewhere. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Each flower has a pair of frilly white 'wings' which are light green in the centre. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
At 9-11mm long the flowers are longer than those of Common Fumitorywhich are only 7-8mm. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Lower petal is slightly broader at the tip. Two white frilly 'wings' flank each side of the flower. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The 'wings' are actually sepals, and are white , always shorter than half the length of the upper part of the flower (excluding the longer lower lip), coloured white and with a pale green mid-vein. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The sepals are pointed oval in shape (and not longer with a rectangular mid-section) and randomly but bluntly dentate at the wider end. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The sepals would be transparent if it were not for specular reflection from the reticulated surface looking like tiny droplets of drizzle. The observant viewer might also notice that the reticulations ray outwards in curved lines emanating from the area where the pale-green part begins (near the blunt end). |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Looking right up its 'nose' - not much to see here - move along there. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The as-yet un-opened flower buds with the pairs of white sepals featuring prominently. |
22nd May 2015, Alt Rifle Range, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves partially folded up, perhaps after a dull morning without sun. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves of Fumitories, like those of Creeping Corydalis, strangely asymmetrical. They are pinnate, with three or five sets of leaves, which are themselves lobed into three, some of those lobes themselves being lobed. All leaves and lobes are of un-equal length. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
A set of three leaves, deeply lobed into three's, which are less deeply lobed into two's. Each has a fine point at the tip. |
24th Aug 2011, Bickerstaff, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The stems are round, slightly fuzzy hairy, and perhaps faintly striated. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, Burscough, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaflets are tipped by tiny purple points. |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
A selection of the flowers at various angles for study. Oh, look, I can see right up your nose (middle left). |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
You need to see a selection of the flowers in order to grasp any slight differences between those with the same name, in the case of this and one below this one, the tips differ slightly. |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
You need to see a selection of the flowers in order to grasp any slight differences between those with the same name, in the case of this and one above this one, the tips differ slightly. |
13th Sept 2018, arable fields, Upholland, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
And now for something completely different: the flower has dropped off as its petiole turns to fruit, thicker at the top. It still has a sepal attached to the petiole. There is a short white bract just beneath each petiole. |
The next most common Fumitory after
Easily mis-identified as : Common Ramping-fumitory is split up into three sub-species :
Some similarities to : many other Superficial resemblance to : Climbing Corydalis in that the flowers are somewhat similar, but this has white flowers, un-lobed leaves, and tendrils with which it can climb.
Fumitories contain the alkaloid When broken, the stems, leaves and mid-ribs ooze a poisonous white latex which is dangerous should it get in the eye.
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Fumaria | muralis | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Papaveraceae |
Fumaria (Fumitories) |
Poppy [Papaveraceae] |