Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

141*Nymphoides pe/tata. Fringed water-lily.Cackle Street, 1933, G. Dent (Dent 1928-1953).Not refound. Although probably native in parts of eastern and south-eastern England it is likely to have beenplanted at Cackle Street, as it is widely elsewhere. Widespread in Europe and Asia.POLEMONIACEAE* Polemonium caeruleum.3 -++-___----l_+___4 5BORAGINACEAEJacob' s-Iadder.Appropriately enough, an escape at Friar's Hill (Wolley-Dod 1937).Under bracken on bank between car park and heath, Ashdown Forest Centre(433.323), 1988, Sue Buckingham, but gone by 1994 and probably before. Itappears to have been introduced with soil brought in when the cess pit for the centrewas enlarged, and persisted for a few years.A rare escape in Sussex and increasing as a garden escape in England (Rich &Woodruff 1996), but native in northern England. The native form has leaflets mostlythree times as long as wide, whilst cultivated and garden plants have leaflets mostlyless than about 2.7 times as long as wide, and are of European origin (Pig ott 1958).Widespread in north and central Europe, Caucasus, Siberia and North America.*Echium vu/gare. Viper's~bugloss.Tetrad 42P (Hall 1980). Not refound.Locally frequent on the chalk and coast in Sussex, especially around rabbit burrows. Still widespread ineastern England but decreasing (Rich & Woodruff 1996). Widespread in Europe and temperate Asia.*Pu/monaria officinalis. Lungwort.Tetrad 43A, 1987, MM; not refound.Widely established as a garden escape in Britain. Native in Europe.Symphytum officina/e. Common comfrey, Knitbone, Bruisewort.Tetrad 43P (Hall 1980).Chelwood area (41 .29), 1994, Flora meeting; Nutley area (44.28), 1995, MM.Frequent in Sussex, often on river banks and other damp places, but easilyconfused with S. x uplandicum; S. officinaie in Sussex usually has cream or white3 -+-J..---------'-+_ flowers and strongly winged stems.Planted and grown by local herbalists in the early 20th century for use onsprains and fractures. Widespread in lowland Britain and in Europe except theextreme south and often introduced in the north; temperate Asia.4 5* Symphytum x up/andicum. Russian comfrey.Frequent on the Forest (Hall 1980).Established outside garden amongst bracken (446.275), 1995, TR; Lines Farmstream (444.347), 1993, TR & EL; Toll Lane, patch on verge (46.26), 1995, PO &RN; A26 verge near Claygate Farm (478.262), 1995, TR.3 It was once grown for fodder, and may not be well~established in the Forest as itis rapidly devoured by deer, and the soils may also be too acidic. Widely establishedin Sussex, lowland Britain and Europe.4 5*Symphytum tuberosum. Tuberous comfrey.Near Fairwarp, E. D. Morgan; roadside north of Maresfield, Wolley-Dod (Wolley-Dod1937).Boringwheel Mill area (45.26), 1994, Flora meeting; Fairwarp, by the bus shelter(465.264) and by the village hall (467.263), 1992 +, B. Hoath where it apparently3 -1-+--------'--1- arrived in soil at the former and also nearby on Nursery Lane when some minor roadimprovements were carried out; St John's car park (504.316), 1991 +, PW.A rare plant in Sussex and presumably introduced. Native in west, central andsouthern Europe northwards to England, and possibly in Scotland.4 5