The moufflon (Ovis musimon) is a wild sheep that is thought
to be one of the ancestors of the modern farmed sheep.
A fully grown mouflon is around 120-140 centimetres (47-55
inches) long, 60-120 cms (23-47 inches) high at the shoulder and weighs from 25
to 55 kgs (55-121 lbs).
The coat is reddish-brown with a dark stripe on the back and
a light-coloured saddle patch and underparts. Male moufflons have a mane and
very large spiral horns.
Evolution is behind the size and splendour of the ram’s
horns, which arch back and then swing round to the front in a graceful loop
that frames the ram’s face. The bigger they are, the greater the ram’s status
in the herd and more likely he is to be able to fight off rivals and ensure
that the next generation carry his genes.
Fights only take place when the horns are not impressive enough
to frighten off an opponent. The heads go down and the horns bash against each.
Hence the reason why rams are called rams!
Unfortunately, mouflon horns are also prized as trophies and
many a splendid mouflon ram has lost his life to a hunter as a result.
Moufflons originated on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and
Cyprus, but very few live there now. Fortunately, the species was introduced to
mainland Europe where it continues to thrive.
© John Welford
Wood avens (Geum urbanum) is found throughout the British
Isles in shady places with damp, fertile soil. It is an upright, hairy plant
that grows to a height of between 12 and 24 inches (30-60 cms).
Some leaves grow on stalks rising directly from the base,
each bearing two or three pairs of leaflets of unequal size. The upper leaves
that grow from the stem of the plant have three lobes.
The yellow flowers, which appear from June to August, are
upright with turned-back sepals and spreading petals. The seeds are hooked and
spread by being caught in the fur and feathers of passing animals and birds, as
well as the clothing of human passers-by.
Wood avens has a remarkable mythology attached to it. It was
thought to have an association with St Benedict, who founded the Benedictine
order of monks. An alternative name is herb bennet.
This belief gave rise to notions that the plant had mystical
or magical powers. A medical treatise of 1491 stated that “if a man carries the
root around with him, no venomous beast can touch him”. It was also thought
that hanging wood avens over one’s doorway would prevent the Devil from
crossing the threshold!
Apart from these remarkable supposed powers, the
roots of wood avens, which have a delicate clove-like smell, have been used as
a fly repellent and for flavouring.
© John Welford
Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) may sound like some sort of
disease but is in fact a common wildflower that grows over most of Great
Britain, being found in field margins, hedgerows and on roadsides.
In ancient times this plant was widely used for medicinal
purposes, being thought to be a remedy for liver complaints, poor eyesight,
memory loss and even snakebite!
The plant was formerly thought to have magical qualities in
southwest England, being known as fairy’s wand or fairy’s rod. To counter this
trend, the Church renamed it Aaron’s rod.
Another former use of agrimony was as a dye plant for wool,
with a strong yellow colour being produced.
The stems of agrimony, which are upright, unbranched and
hairy, grow to between 12 and 24 inches high (30-60 cms).
The plant flowers between June and August, producing spikes
that bear numerous yellow star-shaped flowers with notched petals. These
flowers, which have a scent reminiscent of apricots, attract bees and flies.
The fruits have a ring of hooks around the upper edge that
are caught by passing animals which therefore help to distribute the seeds.
© John Welford
Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is the plant from which the
much-loved domestic strawberry was cultivated in the 18th century.
The so-called Alpine strawberry, which has smaller fruits than those of garden
strawberries, is closer to the original wild form.
True wild strawberries grow in Great Britain in woods and on
grassland, especially on chalky soil. Some plants that are found growing wild
are actually descended from cultivated plants the seeds of which “escaped”.
The name strawberry has nothing to do with any notion of
straw being used to provide a bed for the berries and protect them from slug
damage. The name goes back to Anglo-Saxon times – before the year 1000 – which
was long before the plants were cultivated. In the Anglo-Saxon form of English,
one meaning of the word straw referred to small particles of chaff, which could
be taken to indicate the scattering of pips on the surface of the fruit.
Another meaning is to strew across the ground, which is what the plant does
with its creepers.
The upper leaves of the wild strawberry have long stalks and
three leaflets that are bright green on top and pale underneath. The lower
leaves form a rosette. The plant can grow to anything between 2 and 12 inches
in height (5-30 cms). nk!
Flowering is from April to July. The fleshy fruit, which
turns red when ripe, is known as an achene. This is equivalent to the central
part of a raspberry, to which the seed-containing fruits are attached, but in
the case of the strawberry the seeds are on the outside of the fruiting body
and not contained within.
Strawberries also reproduce by sending out runners to form
new plants.
© John Welford
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) grows widely in Great Britain, preferring light
acid soil.
It grows up to 20 inches high, the upper leaves having three
leaflets and two leafy stipules.
The flowering stems grow from a rosette of leaves that often
wither before the flowers appear, which is between May and October.
The yellow flowers, which look a bit like those of
buttercups, have four sepals and four petals. They produce a nectar that
attracts insects, but the plant can also self-pollinate.
Each flower produces up to twenty fruits in a small solid
receptacle.
Tormentil was used medicinally in past
ages. In a book published in 1616 a powder made from tormentil roots was
recommended as a cure for toothache.
The plant was also used as a source of red dye and its
highly astringent roots could serve as alternative to oak bark in the tanning
of hides.
© John Welford
Silverweed (Potentilla anserine) is a variety of cinquefoil that has the more usual
yellow flowers, and its silvery leaves are divided into up to 12 leaflets.
It was an important crop plant in earlier times before the
introduction of potatoes. The starchy roots were eaten raw, baked or boiled, or
ground down to make porridge or bread.
Traditional names for silverweed include “bread and butter”,
“bread and cheese” and “seventh bread”.
It also had medicinal uses, being used to treat mouth
ulcers, sore throats and internal bleeding.
© John Welford
Marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris), as the name
suggests, grows in wet places such as bogs and peat. It is more common in
northern areas of the British Isles than further south. In the Isle of Man it
has the name “bog strawberry”.
Cinquefoil is French for “five-leaved”, although this refers
to the arrangement of leaflets within a single leaf.
Marsh cinquefoil grows to between 6 and 18 inches high. A
creeping underground stem produces upright stems on which grow the largish
leaves, divided into five leaflets as mentioned above.
The plant flowers from May to July, the flowers being
reddish in colour, which is unusual for cinquefoils in that most varieties have
yellow flowers. The flower sepals are much longer than the petals. The fruits
are carried in a spongy receptacle.
©John Welford
