Hieracium anglicum Fr., English Hawkweed

Account Summary

Fermanagh Occurence

The accompanying Fermanagh tetrad map not only plots the local distribution of this widespread but variable microspecies, it also demonstrates how little recent work has been done on the genus Hieracium in the VC, for it displays eight symbols representing pre-1976 records and just nine for post-1975 finds. Nevertheless, with a total of 33 records in 17 tetrads, H. anglicum is the most frequently and widely recorded hawkweed microspecies in the VC, a status it also has throughout Ireland (Critical Atlas, Map 558/1.59, p. 91). There are numerous vouchers in BEL of this microspecies collected by S.A. Stewart in 1880-1, J.McK. Moon, 1957-9 and P. Hackney, 1974.

It is a plant of cliff and scarp ledges and crevices and streamsides, usually in upland areas. According to Sell & Murrell (2006, p. 317), it is often found on limestone or basalt, ie in base-rich growing conditions. In Fermanagh, H. anglicum is chiefly encountered on the Western Plateau uplands and on Cuilcagh and cliffs at Hanging Rock. It is particularly frequent to abundant on the limestone hills from Poulaphouca to Knockmore and Carrick, but has also been recorded at Tents Td, on the southern slopes of Belmore Mountain.

While it is most frequently found on definitely Carboniferous limestone areas of the VC, H. anglicum does also occur on sandstone in a number of locations, as at Carricknagower and on scarps around the Lough Anlaban neighbourhood in the Lough Navar Forest Park. Many, or perhaps all, of the red sandstones in this particular area are dolomitized, ie the rocks have undergone mineral replacement. This is possibly due to long-term seepage of ground water rich in calcium and magnesium carbonates or, perhaps more likely, to changes at an earlier stage of rock development in marine sediments. However the geological process has come about, these normal enough looking but chemically altered red sandstone rocks now support the growth of definite calcicole plants, the most notable example of this being the fern, Asplenium viride (Green Spleenwort).

H. anglicum is comparatively widespread in W & N parts of Ireland and, in western parts at least, it forms very luxuriant colonies of short, but not really dwarfed plants, with large spreading leaves and flowerheads sometimes of the very largest size (Perring & Sell 1968, Map 558/1.59; Sell & Murrell 2006). Elsewhere in Britain, it is common in N England and C Scotland and occasional northwards to Orkney.

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