Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

144VERBENACEAE* Verbena officinalis. Vervain.Tetrad 53A {Hall 1980}, possib}y outside our area,Streeter's Rough area (42,29), 1993, TR,Common on the chalk in Sussex and occasional elsewhere, and sometimes ondry roads ides in the Weald. Mainly in southern Britain, and widespread in Europe and3 western Asia; also found in North Africa.4 5LAMIACEAE (LABIATAE)Stachys officina/is. Betony.Common on the Forest (Hall 1980),One of our most attractive plants, especially when present in large numbers.Our survey shows it to be widespread in the south, west and north-east of the Forestbut strangely absent from a band running diagonally in from the north-west corner.As Stachys officinalis is such a well-known and relatively conspicuous plant the mapalmost certainly reflects its true distribution. The reason for its absence from theseareas is unclear as it is found mainly in open woodland, grassland and road verges(Plate 3), habitats which are present in many of the squares where we have norecords.Common in most of England and Wales except East Anglia and widespread inEurope outside Scandinavia, also in Caucasus and Algeria. Decreasing in England (Rich & Woodruff 1996).*Stachys byzantina. Lamb's~ear.Seedlings on tipped soil, Kidbrooke {420,346}, 1995, TR, but not established,It is widely grown in gardens and occasionally established in Britain. It is nativein south-east Europe and south~west Asia.J -++-----Lf-4 5Stachys sylvatica. Hedge woundwort.Described as ubiquitous in Hall (1980) and found to be similarly widespread on shadyroad banks, and in hedges and woods during our survey. It occurs on moist, fertilesoils usually of pH 6-8 but not below pH 4 (Grime et ai, 1988), and is tolerant of lightshade, forming clonal patches by the spreading underground rhizomes.3 Common throughout the whole of Britain and much of Europe except theMediterranean where it becomes scarce. Also found in the Caucasus and Kashmir.4 5Stachys palustris. Marsh woundwort.Occasional on the Forest (Hall 1980).We have twelve scattered records, mainly from wet places such as along theMedway, although the record from Gills Lap is for a plant growing in the road gutterby the entrance to North Park car park (467.315), PW, where it has persisted for3 some years. It also grows on wet verges with Si/aum near Chelwood Gate{415,304}, 1993, TR, It mainly occurs in damp, relatively undisturbed sites ineastern England presumably due to sensitivity to drought, but in the damp, humid4 5 climate of western Ireland occurs very frequently as a weed of disturbed ground.Present throughout much of Britain, and in Europe, but becoming scarce aroundthe Mediterranean and in the north of Scandinavia. Also found in temperate Asia and North America.