Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

*Petasites japonicus. Giant butterbur.Planted at Chelwood Vacherv in bog garden (42.29 and 43.29), but not vet naturalized.Native in eastern Asia.1894 5*Petasites fragrans. Winter heliotrope, SweetRscented coltsfoot.Frequent on the Forest (Hall 1980).Scattered on and around the Forest usually near habitation. It spreads vegetatively andforms large patches, sometimes dominating verges for hundreds of yards as by HorncastleHouse (391.324), where it was recorded in 1945 by G. Dent. Some material in Forest Row3 was in flower as early as November in 1994 in the exceptionally mild winter.Scattered in Sussex and lowland Britain, again usually near habitation. Possibly native inthe central European region.4 5Bidens cernua. Nodding burRmarigold.,---;----===----" Forest Row, 1910, Miss P. Stockdale (BEX). Newbridge, 1965 (Bulletin Kent Field Club 11:27). Tetrad 42N (Hall 1980).One plant only recorded in the dried~up parts of the stream bed in Pippingford Park about3 ++------Y-100 metres south of Centre Bridge (449.316), HP, 1995.This species is typical of exposed muddy shores of ponds and lakes. It is an annual4 5which grows rapidly in the nutrient~rich conditions, and it flowers in late summer. The barbedfruits attached themselves readily to clothing and are difficult to remove.Locally abundant in lowland Britain. Widespread in Europe except the far north and muchof the Mediterranean, and in northern Asia,Bidens tripartita. Trifid bur~marigold.Newbridge, 1965 (Bulletin Kent Field Club 11: 27).Not refound. A species similar in ecology and habitat to B. cernua. Salisbury (1970) thought it was more common inacidic sandy areas than B. cernua, but this is not borne out in Hall (1980) where both species occur in similar places. It islocally abundant in lowland Britain, Europe and Asia.Eupatorium cannabinum. Hemp~agrimony.Common on the Forest (Hall 1980).Scattered on roadsides, ditches and stream sides mainly on the south side of the Forest.It is very attractive to butterflies,Very common in Sussex in a range of habitats. It does not seem to have many ecologicallimitations in Britain, occurring on a wide range of soils and sites, It is widespread in Europe,Asia and North Africa.4 5ALlSMATACEAESagittaria sagittifolia. Arrowhead.Cackle Street, 1933, G. Dent (Dent 1928-1953). Tetrad 43V (Hall 1980), possiblV planted.One Sagittaria plant, possibly S. sagittifolia, was discovered introduced with other aquatics to a pond on the golfcourse, Forest Row (436.342), 1995, PW, and was destroyed the same day when the pond was cleared out.Common along the main river courses in Sussex and their associated ditch systems but rare elsewhere.Widespread in lowland Britain, and in Europe except for the northern and southern extremities. Asia.