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Tuesday 5 August 2014

What is this plant?

There are a few of these plants at Dobroyd railway crossing at Todmorden, growing in recently disturbed soil following the footbridge being built. I have looked in my books and cannot seem to find a match. I'm thinking they are annuals and in the cabbage family but what are they? Other plants nearby include a number of opium poppies.






3 comments:

  1. It looks like a very prematurely-flowering Rocket. There is wild Rocket, more dandelion like in its leaf, and Garden Rocket, smoother edged and milder flavoured.

    The Garden variety self-seeds around in a couple of my gardens.

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  2. Thanks Steve. Most of my wild flower books don't list garden rocket. On the web it gives it as Eruca vesicaria and the images of the flower look spot on but the leaves all seem dandelion-like; whereas my plant has serrated edged leaves with basal lobes. Unless of course the garden rocket has very variable leaves. West Yorks Plant Atlas has the last record in 1885! I can't believe it is as rarely seen in the 'wild' as that.

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  3. I never knew the scientific name for Rocket. It's interesting because it looks like Eruka maybe gave rise to Rocket, by being heard but not seen written.

    It's a confusing area. There are some other yellow-flowered Crucifers called Rocket. London Rocket, etc, Sisyrimbium sp.


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