Deacon Hill SSSI
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Deacon Hill SSSI
Deacon Hill SSSI is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pegsdon in Bedfordshire. It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it is part of the Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit nature reserve, managed by Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. The site is calcareous grassland which is rich in plant species, some of which are uncommon. Birds include lapwings and buzzards, and there are butterflies such as dingy and grizzled skippers. There are also the remains of ancient strip lynchet fields. The SSSI covers part of Deacon Hill and part of the adjacent Pegsdon Hills. This is a remnant of semi-natural chalk downland and the calcareous soil supports a characteristic range of grasses and herbs. The main grasses present are sheep’s fescue, false oat-grass and upright brome. Forbs found here include spring sedge, autumn gentian, yellow-wort, fragrant orchid, common spotted-orchid, common milkwort, common rock-rose, co ...
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Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council was abolished in 2009. Bedfordshire is bordered by Cambridgeshire to the east and north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east and south. It is the fourteenth most densely populated county of England, with over half the population of the county living in the two largest built-up areas: Luton (258,018) and Bedford (106,940). The highest elevation point is on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns. History The first recorded use of the name in 1011 was "Bedanfordscir," meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means "Beda's ford" (river crossing). Bedfordshire was historically divided into nine hundreds: Barford, Biggleswade, Clifton, Flitt, Manshead, Redbornestoke, S ...
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Dactylorhiza Fuchsii
''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. ''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'' is one of Europe's commonest wild orchids. It is widespread across much of Europe, with the range extending eastward into Siberia, Mongolia and Xinjiang. The species is also reportedly naturalised in the Canadian Province of Ontario. ''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'' is a herbaceous perennial plant ranging from in height. The inflorescence is a dense-flowered spike, produced in June–August, that is at first conical then cylindrical. The flower colour can vary from white to pale purple with purple spots, a symmetrical pattern of dark purple loops or dots and dashes. The lip has three lobes. The bracts are usually shorter than the flower. The lip is smaller than that of the very similar ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' and has three deeper cuts. The middle lobe is more than half as large as a lateral lobe. Some colonies are highly perfumed, attractive t ...
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Pulsatilla Vulgaris
''Pulsatilla vulgaris'', the pasqueflower, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (biology), family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe, and widely cultivated in gardens. It was considered part of the genus ''Anemone'', to which it is closely related. Several sources still list ''Anemone pulsatilla'' as the accepted name, with ''Pulsatilla vulgaris'' as a synonym (taxonomy), synonym. Other variations of its common name include European pasqueflower and common pasqueflower. The name may also be split in two - pasque flower. Description This herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant develops upright rhizomes, which function as food-storage organs. Its leaves and stems are long, soft, silver-grey and hairy. It grows to high and when it is fruit-bearing up to . The roots go deep into the soil. The finely-dissected leaf, leaves are arranged in a rosette and appear with the bell-shaped flower in early spring. The purple flo ...
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Tephroseris Integrifolia
''Tephroseris integrifolia'' (vernacular name: field fleawort) is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. Its native range is Europe to Siberia and Iran. Synonym: * ''Senecio integrifolius'' (L.) Clairv. Subspecies: Tephroseris integrifolia subsp. maritima ''Tephroseris integrifolia'' subsp. ''maritima'', also known as the spathulate fleawort or South Stack fleawort, is endemic to Holyhead Island, occurring only around South Stack. It is a subspecies of the field fleawort ''Tephroseris integrifoli ... (Syme) B.Nord. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q15557632 Senecioneae ...
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Iberis Amara
''Iberis amara'', called wild candytuft, rocket candytuft and bitter candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. It has been introduced to numerous locations including Algeria, Sweden, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Indian Subcontinent, Korea, Far Eastern Russia, New Zealand, Argentina, Ecuador, Hispaniola, the United States, and Canada. It prefers to grow in warm and sunny conditions, in high-calcium soil. Description ''I. amara'' is a branched erect annual typically tall, sometimes reaching . Its stems are more or less hairy below and glabrous above, with leaves scattered along their lengths. Leaf blades are simple, with those lower on the stem spathulate and reaching about long and wide, and those higher up lanceolate or oblongcuneate and as small as long and wide. All are more or less sparsely dentate towards their apices. The ebracteate infl ...
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Adoxa Moschatellina
''Adoxa moschatellina'', the moschatel, five-faced bishop, hollowroot, muskroot, townhall clock, tuberous crowfoot or Good Friday plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae. This herbaceous perennial has a holarctic distribution occurring at low altitudes in high latitudes, and at high altitudes in the south of its range. It prefers damp shady situations. Description ''Adoxa moschatellina'' is a rhizomatous plant growing in mats with a delicate appearance. It has thin, erect unbranched stems which end in clusters of five green flowers which are across. These flowers give the species one of its common names, "Town Hall clock", as they face outwards in four directions at 90 degrees to each other, resembling the four faces of a town clock. The flowers have five petals and five stamens, but the stamens are divided into two parts creating the impression that there are ten stamens. When it is not in flower it can be hard to tell ''A. moschatellina'' from other p ...
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Marjoram
Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marjoram are used to distinguish it from other plants of the genus ''Origanum''. It is also called pot marjoram, although this name is also used for other cultivated species of ''Origanum''. History Marjoram is indigenous to Cyprus, the Mediterranean, Turkey, Western Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Levant, and was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness. It may have spread to the British Isles during the Middle Ages. Marjoram was not widely used in the United States until after World War II. The name marjoram (Old French: ''majorane''; ) does not directly derive from the Latin word (major). Marjoram is related to Samhain, the Celtic pagan holiday that would eventually become Halloween. It has also been used in ...
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Thymus Serpyllum
''Thymus serpyllum'', known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to most of Europe and North Africa. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub growing to tall with creeping stems up to long. The oval evergreen leaves are 3–8 mm long. The strongly scented flowers are either lilac, pink-purple, magenta, or a rare white, all 4–6 mm long and produced in clusters. The hardy plant tolerates some pedestrian traffic and produces odors ranging from heavily herbal to lightly lemon, depending on the variety. Description Wild thyme is a creeping dwarf evergreen shrub with woody stems and a taproot. It forms matlike plants that root from the nodes of the squarish, limp stems. The leaves are in opposite pairs, nearly stalkless, with linear elliptic round-tipped blades and untoothed margins. The plant sends up erect flowering shoots in summer. ...
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Carlina Vulgaris
''Carlina vulgaris'', the carline thistle, is a plant species of the genus '' Carlina''. It is a biennial that grows on limestone, chalky or other alkaline grasslands or dunes. The flowers are clusters of very small brown florets surrounded by brown-golden bracts In botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the An .... Both feel dry and spiky, so at first glance the plants appear to be dying when in full flower. The green leaves are spiny and may have hairs. Plants are often short but can reach 60 cm. It originates from Europe, north Africa and Asia but is also found in other parts of the world such as north America. It is considered an invasive plants. References External links * * vulgaris Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Cynareae-stub ...
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Campanula Rotundifolia
''Campanula rotundifolia'', the harebell, Scottish bluebell, or bluebell of Scotland, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. This herbaceous perennial is found throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. In Scotland, it is often known simply as bluebell. It is the floral emblem of Sweden where it is known as small bluebell. It produces its violet-blue, bell-shaped flowers in late summer and autumn. The Latin specific epithet ''rotundifolia'' means "round leaved". However, not all leaves are round in shape. Middle stem-leaves are linear. Description ''Campanula rotundifolia'' is a slender, prostrate to erect herbaceous perennial, spreading by seed and rhizomes. The basal leaves are long-stalked, rounded to heart-shaped, usually slightly toothed, with prominent hydathodes, and often wither early. Leaves on the flowering stems are long and narrow and the upper ones are unstemmed. The inflorescence is a panicle or raceme, with 1 to ...
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Campanula Glomerata
''Campanula glomerata'', known by the common names clustered bellflower or Dane's blood, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Campanula'', belonging to the family Campanulaceae. It is the county flower of Rutland, England. Etymology The etymology of this plant is quite intuitive: the genus Latin name (“campanula”), meaning small bell, refers to the bell-shape of the flower, while the specific name (''glomerata'') refers to the tight grouping of the flowers at the top of the stem. Description ''Campanula glomerata'' is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to a height of , with a maximum of . The stem is simple, erect and shortly pubescent, basal leaves are petiolated, oval-lanceolate and lightly heart-shaped (cordate), while cauline leaves are lanceolate, sessile and '' amplexicaul''. The inflorescence is formed by 15-20 sessile, actinomorphic and hermaphrodite single flowers of about 2 to 3 cm. They are in terminal racemes or in the axils of upper leaves, s ...
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Euphrasia
''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are semi-parasitic on grasses and other plants. The common name refers to the plant's use in treating eye infections. Many species are found in alpine or sub-alpine meadows where snow is common. Flowers usually are borne terminally, are zygomorphic, and have a lower petal shaped like a lip. The most common flower colours are purple, blue-white, and violet. Some species have yellow markings on the lower petal to act as a guide to pollinating insects. Alternative names, mainly in herbalism, are ''Augentrostkraut, Euphrasiae herba, Herba Euphrasiae'' and ''Herbe d'Euphraise''. Use in herbalism and medicine The plant was known to classical herbalists, but then was not referred to until mentioned again in 1305. Nicholas Culpeper assigned it to the Zodiac sign Leo, claiming that it ...
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