Ononis repens L., Common Restharrow

Native, probable mis-identifications. Southern sub-Atlantic.

4 September 1990; Waterman, T., Farren, J. & Montgomery, J.; Curragh More (a bog and heath).

May and September.

The two records of this pink pea-flowered, rhizomatous sub-shrub made by members of the EHS Habitat Survey Team must be clerical errors on the field recording cards involved. The first record is detailed above, the second is: Correl Glen (woodland), 7 May 1992, J. Farren & T. Waterman. The habitats (especially the upland woodland of the Correl Glen) are completely and utterly unsuitable for the plant, even as a casual. O. repens is associated with rough grasslands, scrub, quarries and similar disturbed situations on well-drained, dry, base- or lime-rich, generally light soils (or very occasionally on calcareous boulder clays). The typical habitats are often stony or gravelly, as on inland roadsides, coastal sand dunes and shingle beds. A glance at the New Atlas hectad map indicates that it would not be impossible for O. repens to occur in inland Co Fermanagh, but not at either of the sites so far recorded.

O. repens is familiar enough to most local NI field botanists from sites on the east and north coast where it is common, and it is so distinctive the current author (RSF) cannot imagine an identification error being made. The only sensible explanation is that a slip of the pencil was made on the recorder's field card, which was subsequently overlooked and became accepted.