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Alchemilla glabra Neygenf., Smooth Lady's-mantle

Account Summary

Native, frequent but local. European boreo-temperate, but widely naturalised.

1900; Praeger, R.Ll.; shore of Lough Melvin.

Throughout the year.

This apomictic perennial can sometimes form quite large, robust clonal patches and it is the most frequent (just!) of the three widespread Alchemilla species or subspecies that are found in Co Fermanagh. As with the other apomictic members of the genus, the pollen is defective so that the seed produced is vegetative, asexual, arising without any fertilisation taking place. Before the 1960s these asexual clones were lumped together as A. vulgaris agg., but thanks to of Drs Margaret Bradshaw and Max Walters in England, a workable subdivision has been achieved which also appears to be satisfactory in Ireland (Walters 1949b & 1952; Bradshaw 1963 a & b).

As the Latin binomial implies, A. glabra is the least hairy of the three most commonly met members of the genus Alchemilla. In this plant, only the lowermost couple of stem internodes have a few scattered hairs and they are appressed, not spreading: in addition the leaves are almost hairless, except towards the ends of the veins on the under-surface, near the leaf margin.

Although in B & I A. glabra is generally found in quite a wide range of damp grassy habitats at all levels, in Fermanagh, when compared with other members of the genus, it is chiefly a plant of wetter, upland grassy habitats, including moorland pastures, lakeshores, cliff ledges, in rocky gorges, stabilised screes and especially near waterfalls (where it is often luxuriant). Elsewhere in its B & I range, this species is most commonly found in lowland, ± constantly moist, occasionally flooded grassy places, including damper pastures and tall-growing hay meadows, as well as in rough grassland on banks beside streams and along roadside verges.

Fermanagh occurrence

While the three commoner species of Alchemilla occupy very similar habitats, A. glabra is somewhat less widespread in the VC than A. xanthochlora (Intermediate Lady's-mantle), being represented in 97 tetrads, 18.4% of those in the VC, compared with 21.8% for A. xanthochlora. In six of these tetrads there are only pre-1975 records, indicating a slight loss of suitable habitat that probably is associated with drainage and other agricultural grassland 'improvement' measures. Both these Alchemilla species are much more common and widespread than A. filicaulis subsp. vestita (a Hairy Lady's-mantle), which is approximately half as frequent.

In Fermanagh, A. glabra is widely scattered but, as the tetrad distribution map shows, locally it is more frequent in the W & SW of the county.

British and Irish occurrence

In both B & I, A. glabra has a distinct northern and western distribution, the overall pattern being very similar to that of A. xanthochlora, although the current species is better represented in N & W Scotland than the latter. In Ireland, A. xanthochlora extends further south in the Midlands than A. glabra (Preston et al. 2002).

Threats

None.