Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

111icia tetrasperma. Smooth tare.Four tetrads on the Forest (Hall 1980).Usually found as a few plants scattered along rides, but never common, and in thefarmland around. Twyford area (39.31), 1993/4, DB; south of Nutley (44.261, 1993, MM;near lake, Lines Farm (44.34),1995, PW; Newbridge (457.326),1994, Flora meeting; 46.31,3 -+t-----'-t- 1993, PO; south of Chuck Hatch (473.329),1994, TR; 49.31,1993, MM.Hall (1980) noted that in Sussex it prefers damper ground than V. hirsuta, and this mayexplain why it is more frequent on the silty Forest soils. It is widespread in south-eastEngland, and rarer elsewhere in Britain. Widespread in Europe except the far north; western4 5Asia, Japan and North Africa.Vicia sepium. Bush vetch.3 -+.----""4 5Many tetrads on the Forest, but one of the few places it is not ubiquitous in the Sussex Weald(Hall 1980).Scattered around the Forest in the villages and on roadsides and hedges, and occasionallyin open woodland. It is quite characteristic of the bushy edges of car parks.In south-east England it tends to occur on moist soils often in partial shade but is lessrestricted in the north and west, perhaps reflecting a requirement for moisture (Grime et al.1988). Widespread in Britain and Europe, though rare in the Mediterranean region, temperateAsia and Greenland.Vicia sativa. Common vetch, Fitches.This is an aggregate with a complex taxonomic history which means the old records aredifficult to interpret, and should be treated as Vicia sativa sensu lata (e.g. Hall 1980, etc.).Like V. sepium it is scattered around the Forest on roadsides and in the villages. Thecommonest taxon of this group on the Forest is subsp. segetalis and probably all records canbe referred to this. Very narrow-leaved plants were noted on track sides south of Brown'sBrook (472.2771, 1994, Flora meeting and could be subsp. nigra.Widespread in Britain, and in Europe except the far north; temperate Asia and North4 5Africa.* Vicia !aba. Broad bean.One plant on verge to Hunters Farm (449.2651, possibly carried by pigeons from nearby field, 1995, TR & G. M. Kay.Gone by January 1996, probably eaten by a hungry bunny.Lathyrus linifolius (L. montanus). Bitter-vetch.Common on the Forest (Hall 1980).Most typical of hedge banks and verges, sometimes in sun or light shade, usually onmoderately but not strongly acidic soils. A lovely plant and one of TR's favourites.Widespread in the Weald in Sussex but rare elsewhere. It occurs throughout Britain in4 5woodland, moorland, unimproved grassland and hedgebanks on acidic to neutral soils; many ofthe sites are somewhat damp or humid. It is decreasing in England, presumably due to habitatloss (Rich & Woodruff 1996). Widespread in west, central and southern Europe to Russia, andin North Africa.*Lathyrus latifolius. Broad-leaved everlasting-pea.Firebreak on heath imported on soil used to improve the track, Duddleswell (465.282), 1993,PW.A garden escape or throw-out now widely established and 'Increasing 'In Britain onroadsides, railway banks and waste ground {Rich & Woodruff 1996). Native in southern and3 -++_-----'-+_ central Europe and North Africa.4 5