Hazel Graves writes:

The visit to Leicester Abbey Park on Saturday afternoon 14 December 2024 was led by Russell Parry, an experienced botanist, who had a few “goals” in mind that he wanted to share with us and for us to help him with identification.  Abbey Park is a good winter destination as the paths are firm, and is also suitable for those of us with mobility problems.

Twelve members were present, and Russell, who has a detailed knowledge of and interest in the changing flora of the City of Leicester, commenced the afternoon by showing us seedlings of Himalayan Honeysuckle Leycesteria formosa, becoming naturalised in some of the less formal areas of the park.

Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa)

Russell’s next destination was a planted pine tree, suspected to be Bhutan Pine, Pinus wallichiana. Some of the botanists on the trip joined Russell in keying out the pine and did in fact confirm the suspected ID. The distinction from Black Pine Pinus nigra and Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris, which have needles in pairs, were the bundles of five needles. Other distinguishing features are the banana shaped, white resin stained, pendulous female cones up to 15 to 20 cm long, usually clustered at the apex.  This species is widespread but occasional in Britain where it is usually found as a planted tree.

Russell’s next goal was to measure the circumference of a London Plane, Platanus x hispanca.  This required two people to hold the measuring tape! The circumference was 507 cm. School children use the simplified formula “circumference divided by 2 gives approximate age”.  This would give an age of about 250 years for this specimen which seems unlikely at this site as Abbey Park was created from marshy ground in the 1880s. If it was part of the early planting this would make it more likely about 150 years old.

Russell then took us to the ancient walls near the café and the Abbey ruins.  These have a firmly established colony of Wallflower, Erysimum cheiri, with some plants in flower. This flower, native to Greece, is an archaeophyte meaning that it has been naturalised before 1500 AD.

The walls also had other well-established plants, for example Globe Thistle Echinops agg., not identified to species.  Also in evidence was Winter Jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, a native of China and infrequently recorded in the wild in our counties.  Fox & Cubs Pilosella aurantiaca, was present which Russell said he had never seen growing from a wall crevice before.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax Cymbalaria muralis (photo above), was also present.  This is an alien neophyte having arrived in the wild since 1550, originally from rocky habitats in southern Europe.

A range of other plants and trees was seen as well as waterbirds and a Buzzard, Buteo buteo, overhead. An unusual gall was noted, Cauliflower Mite Gall Aceria fraxinivora. These galls are irregular, woody encrustations, formed on the ash flowers, green at first and gradually turning to brown and black, which remain on the tree for up to two years. They were present on the Ash tree near the bridge.

Cauliflower Mite Gall (Aceria fraxinivora) on Ash

A full report will be published in the Spring 2024 newsletter, which is available to members.

(Photos: Hazel Graves)