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Rosa canina Group 'Pubescentes' Wolley-Dod (informal taxon)

Account Summary

1947; MCM & D; Fardrum Lough.

Thirteen records can be fitted into this informal group, all or most of which were previously reckoned as belonging to forms or varieties of R. dumetorum Thuill., which then became R. corymbifera Borkh. (Revised Typescript Flora). The taxonomy is so confused that RHN and the current author (RSF) are weary of the group, but still want to include the record details for the sake of completeness and since vouchers possibly or probably might exist in K and BEL.

The first eleven records were made by Meikle and co-workers between 1947-50 and were as usual determined by N.Y. Sandwith. Specimens of the last two records were collected by Paul Hackney in 1974-5 and were determined by R. Melville around 1980-2. Apart from the first given above, the sites and dates are as follows: Crom Castle Estate, 1948; limestone pavement near Crevinish Castle, Gubbaroe Point, Lower Lough Erne, 1948; Ballagh crossroads, 1949; Ardunshin Bridge, Colebrooke River, 1949; Glens at Slieve Rushen, 1949; Lisgoole, Upper Lough Erne, 1949; Hanging Rock NR, 1949; Muckross, near Kesh, 1950; between Lough Digh and Corrard Peninsula, Upper Lough Erne, 1950; Corrard Peninsula, 1950; old railway track, Bigwood Td, near Boa Island, 18 September 1974, BEL; Killadeas Church, 11 September 1975, BEL.

Growth form and preferred habitats

A small, much branched, usually pale greyish-green, summer annual therophyte up to 10 cm tall, with digitately or palmately lobed leaves, this sexually reproducing form of Aphanes is very much more local than the apomictic A. arvensis (Parsley-piert). It is greener and more slender than the latter, flowers from April to October and has even smaller fruits than A. arvensis s.s., showing no constriction between the upper and lower parts, and the sepals are convergent (New Flora of the BI 2019, p. 277, Figs 1, 2). It is less common than A. arvensis s.s. and appears to be confined to short turf, mossy areas on acidic sandy or gravelly soils, or dry rocky ground, eg on roadsides, along tracks and in quarries and sand-pits. It is not as confined to well-drained soils as A. arvensis, but is more definitely a plant of acidic conditions (Garrard & Streeter 1983). In Fermanagh, these conditions are also found locally on or near lakeshores and on river banks.

Fermanagh occurrence

The limited number of records that have accumulated in the Fermanagh Flora Database (18 finds in 14 tetrads) are mainly the work of RHN, facts that strongly suggest this rather insignificant-looking little species is under-recorded. Otherwise, as the tetrad map shows, it appears to be very local around the Tempo area, with very few (six or seven) records elsewhere in the county.

Additional to the first record are the following: Poll Beg District, NW of Boho, 11 June 1978, M.J.P. Scannell, DBN; all the remaining records involve RHN – Knockennis, 3 km NE of Brougher Mountain, 7 July 1988; Pubble Bridge, Tempo River, 1 October 1988; fen at Feddan Bog, 8 June 1992; fields at Largy Lough, 13 August 1992; sand pit at Pubble Bridge, 11 September 1994 & 20 August 1999, with RSF; Drumcreen, Ballinamallard River, 16 April 1995; roadside Ballyreagh, 5 km NW of Tempo, 31 December 1995, with HJN; roadside at Tempo, 13 April 1996; Tully, W of Edenmore, 21 June 1997, with RSF; N of Many Burns Bridge, Many Burns River, 3 May 1999; Pubble Forest, 1 December 2001; sandpit at Pubble Bridge, 28 August 2004, with RSF; Agnaglack, 20 April 2009, with HJN; Gublusk Bay, Lower Lough Erne, 28 February 2010; Killyreagh House near Tamlagh, 10 June 2010.

British and Irish occurrence

The New Atlas map shows the species widespread throughout both islands, but much more thinly scattered in Ireland, yet with a slightly greater presence in the south and the sunny south-east corner, both areas which attract more visitors and where the local recorders are more energetic than the norm (Preston et al. 2002). Thus the mapped distribution of A. australis across the whole of Ireland suggests probable under-recording in comparison with the situation in Britain.

European and world occurrence

It stretches northwards from a scattered presence in Spain and Portugal through W Europe to S Sweden and eastwards to NE Poland, the Carpathians and the Adriatic. Very local in the Balkans and present only on the W Mediterranean Isles (Minorca, Mallorca, Sardinia and Sicily), but also recorded on Madeira (Press & Short 1994; Sell & Murrell 2014). Beyond Europe, it occurs in Morocco and Algeria and is introduced in E & S parts of N America (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 1156).

Threats

None.