Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

136Torilis japonica. Upright hedge-parsley.Common on east side of the Forest (Hall 1980).We have recorded it scattered on roadsides, open scrub and hedges.in Sussex and widespread in Eurasia to Japan, and North Africa.It is very common3 -I--I---------'-+_4 5Daucus carata. Wild carrot.Tetrad 42N (Hall 1980); not refound.Predominantly on the chalk in Sussex, but also elsewhere in the Weald (Hall 1980). Widespread in lowland Britainthough becoming more coastal in the north, and in Europe south of the Baltic, temperate Asia and North Africa.GENTIANACEAECicendia filiformis. Yellow centaury, Slender cicendia.First found on the edge of the Royal Ashdown Golf Course, Forest Row (43.34), 18July 1986, PS, when he noticed the yellow pinprick of a bud while examining Juncusbufonius with a lens. He returned daily for two weeks until the flowers opened in3 -1-+_-----1-1-sunshine on 1 August. The colony was spread along about 17 metres of the dampedge of a sloping track and contained about 700 plants between 4 and 80 mm tall4 5(the largest having 3 main branches) growing on bare soil and in grass at the trackedge. Drosera rotundifolia and Isolepis setacea were also present but the Iso/epis hassince disappeared.In most years the majority of the plants in the colony are extremely small, oftenless than 10 mm tall, accompanied by a few larger ones which may reach a height of 50 mm or more. As withother annuals, the numbers vary considerably from year to year though the small plants are extremely hard to seeand make recording of exact numbers difficult. In 1987 there were around 600-1000 plants (Briggs 1990 reported100 plants). In 1988 180 plants were recorded, in 1989 50 plants, and in 1992 70 plants (AFRR). In 1994 TR &NM found four plants, but later that summer AH found over 30. The dry spring and summer of 1995 was notconducive to growth and about 15 plants were seen by AK in July, but none could be found in August by TR. Atthe moment the site does not appear to be threatened although it is a little more overgrown than it was in 1986and some management may become necessary to ensure its survival.Cicendia filiformis is often associated with tracks, the edges of pools and ditches and occasionally occurs indamp pastures. Salisbury (1970) noted that it has occurred in certain muddy depressions year after year,sometimes in abundance, whilst being absent from apparently similar depressions nearby. The seeds germinateover an extended period in the spring, and come into flower rapidly. He found plants had an average of threecapsules per plant and an average of 197 seeds in each capsule.Cicendia is becoming scarce in the British Isles (Byfield 1994), with sites in East Sussex, Hampshire, EastDorset, Cornwall, North Devon, Dyfed, Gwynedd and the Channel Isles and can only be regarded as widespread intwo areas - the New Forest and the Lizard Peninsula. Many of its sites are on heathland where it is threatened bydestruction of habitat or changes in management, particularly the loss of grazing, when it succumbs easily to theinvasion of grass and scrub. The Forest Row site is currently the most easterly known site in Britain (by about100 km), although it was once known from two areas of Norfolk which are slightly further east. The nearestextant sites are now in the New Forest. It is presumed extinct in West Sussex where the last known localitieswere Turner's Hill, 1953, FR and St. Leonard's Forest, 1980s, M. Briggs.It also occurs in western and southern Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa and the Azores.Centaurium erythraea. Common centaury, Gentian.Near Forest Row, C. H. Waddell (Wolley-Dod 1937). Common on the Forest (Hall1980).Widespread on rides, paths, car parks, verges and in grassland around theForest. Plants with white flowers occur occasionally (e.g. noted in 41.30, 43.20,)and rides in Five Hundred Acre Wood 48.32).Widespread in Sussex, common in the Weald, and widespread in lowlandBritain, Europe and south-west Asia.4 5