A Botanical walk in May

An enthusiastic group met Keith Spurgin at the quarry near the head of Gillan Creek, in fitful sunshine where Keith said that he was not expecting to see any especially rare plants but there was a good opportunity to become familiar with some woodland and wayside species.  Soon the walkers were enjoying the vista of the creek at low tide complete with nesting swans. Pam Tompsett pointed out the brown seaweed Fucus ceranoides found in the upper, less saline creeks. Following the narrow road to St. Anthony’s Church, the group was soon seeing members of two plant families in particular, the umbellifers and the crucifers. Amongst the former, Alexanders, the Roman pot-herb, was tasted without any ill effects and we also saw Hemlock Water-dropwort, a very poisonous plant, true Hemlock with its purple blotched stems, Cow Parsley and the feathery-leaved Pignut. The crucifer or Cabbage family was well represented by Radish, Scurvy-grass and Swine’s-cress, the latter well-grown and very acrid.

Stopping at a very shady, damp area of woodland some garden escapes were seen: Garden Archangel with its silver-spotted leaves, Skunk Cabbage (fortunately not in flower) and a pink-flowered Persicaria, P. campanulata.Orange-tip butterflies were flying and one travelled the length of the group as it set off again along the narrow lane.

On the National Trust footpath between the road and the creek, the party admired some large trees, provisionally named by Keith: Monterey Pine and Monterey Cypress. Some interesting facts included the growth rate of some conifers (up to 2.5 metres a year) and that some pines kept their cones on the branch for 80 years. Growing among these giants of the creekside was a single Sweet Chestnut sapling, not particularly common in Cornwall. We were shown the differences between Three-cornered Leek, a ‘bulbfield parvenu’ according to Keith, and native Ramsons, its alternative name ‘Broad-leaved Garlic’ being one way of telling them apart.A wide spreading carpet of Lesser Periwinkle was the largest colony Keith had seen in Cornwall.

Back in the lane, the black, hard, shiny fungus King Alfred’s Cakes grew in some quantity on old trees. An apparently self-sown Myrtle (always an escape in the British Isles) was a rare find. By the time the path down to the creek was reached, the tide had risen and the tree-lined waterside shone in the sunshine. On the small beach by some wooden caravans there was a range of quite different plants including Fat Hen and Couch Grass. An unexpected rarity, although clearly another escape from cultivation, was a single plant of Garden Rocket.

Two species of Fumitory were seen, one the Common Ramping-fumitory, on the beach, and the other, White Ramping-fumitory, in some abundance on the laneside bank, which also yielded Honesty as we walked towards the churchyard. The party climbed to the top steps and, following the back lane, reached the marina car park gate. Here on a gravel pile, there were enough plants for an afternoon’s botanising, including a tall Brome-grass, which Keith compared with a specimen of Barren Brome to show the differences - while botanist Matt Stribley took photos of a fine group of fumitories.

About 35 of us enjoyed the delights of Gillan Creek, the church with its low stone tower and the opportunity to botanise on a fine spring day.

Keith Spurgin