''Fumaria occidentalis'', the western ramping-fumitory, is a species of
flowering plant in the genus ''
Fumaria'' that is endemic to
Cornwall. It is the largest of the British fumitories, and was discovered in 1904.
Distribution
''Fumaria occidentalis'' is restricted to "the warmest districts in Cornwall", comprising the westernmost parts of mainland
Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
, from near
Padstow around
Land's End towards
The Lizard. Within the Isles of Scilly, it only occurs on
St. Mary's, although there are historical records of its occurrence on
St. Martin's St. Martin's or St. Martins may refer to:
Places
* St. Martins, Missouri, a city in the USA
* St Martin's, Isles of Scilly, an island off the Cornish coast, England
* St Martin's, North Yorkshire, England
* St Martins, Perth and Kinross, Scotland ...
.
Description and ecology
''Fumaria occidentalis'' is the largest fumitory to grow in the
United Kingdom,
with flowers long.
Their
petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s are initially whitish (except the dark pink tips), becoming pink later; the
sepals are by , and toothed towards the base.
Its fruit are also larger than those of the other British species of ''Fumaria'', at up to .
''Fumaria occidentalis'' is an
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...
, flowering from March on the Isles of Scilly, but in May or June on the Cornish mainland.
It can be locally abundant in various types of
arable and waste land,
including field edges and
Cornish hedges.
Taxonomy
''Fumaria occidentalis'' was first described by
Herbert William Pugsley
Herbert may refer to:
People Individuals
* Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert
Name
* Herbert (given name)
* Herbert (surname)
Places Antarctica
* Herbert Mountains, Coats Land
* Herbert Sound, Graham Land
Australia
* Herbert, ...
in 1904.
In 1902, Pugsley had seen herbarium specimens that he could not assign to any British species, and encountered the plant in person in 1904 while in Cornwall "for a short holiday".
The botanist
Eliza Standerwick Gregory
Eliza Standerwick Gregory or Eliza Standerwick Barnes (6 December 1840 – 22 March 1932) was a British botanist.
Life
Eliza Standerwick Barnes was born in Thrapston in Northamptonshire in 1840. She was always interested in botany but she did no ...
was also credited with the discovery of the Cornish fumitory. She reported that she found it on the edge of a wood at
Lelant according to F. Hamilton Davey's 1909 ''Flora of Cornwall''.
according to F. Hamilton Davey's Flora of Cornwall (1909)
/ref>
It is closely related to Mediterranean taxa such as ''Fumaria agraria
''Fumaria agraria'' is an herbaceous annual plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It is native to North Africa and the western Mediterranean Europe, and has been introduced to Chile, Peru, Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; S ...
''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15337955
occidentalis
This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...
Endemic flora of England
Plants described in 1904