Saturday, 12 March 2016

Annual knawel



Annual knawel (Scleranthus annuus) is also known as German knotgrass. The name 'knawel' derives from the German for 'a tangle of threads’. It grows throughout Britain on waste ground and also cultivated areas, with a preference for sandy and gravelly soils.

It is a small plant that grows to no more than ten inches above the ground and often much less than that. It is a wiry plant with narrow pointed leaves and hairy branching stems.

The tiny flowers, which appear from June to August, grow in clusters and are notable for having no petals. Each flower produces a single nut-like fruit.


© John Welford

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