WILDFLOWERS

PEA FAMILY

European Gorse Ulex europaeus is a common spiny evergreen shrub that grows up to 2 metres high. Its yellow flowers, 15-20 mm, appear mainly between January and June. The green needle-like leaves are furrowed. During summer the seed pods can often be heard popping open on sunny days. European gorse is usually found on light acid soils.

Dwarf Gorse Ulex minor is a perennial that grows up to a metre tall in heathland and scrub. It is a spiny-stemmed evergreen with winged, five-petalled pea-like flowers appearing at the end of branching stems from July until October. The round stems are hairy and the leaves are needle-shaped.

Petty Whin Genista anglica is a perennial once common on the heathland at Chigwell Row. It is a small, spiny, slender, shrub rarely growing more than 50 cm tall, however occassionally it may be taller. The yellow flowers (8-10 mm) appear in short spikes and the leaves are narrow ovals. 

Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca is a perennial found in rough grassland that bears bluish-violet flowers (10-12 mm) at equal distances on one side of a central stem (raceme). Flowers nearer the stem base open first. Plants can reach a height of two metres, however they are usually shorter. Pinnate leaves with up to twelve pairs of leaflets end in branched tendrils. Flowers appear from June until August.

Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus is a common sprawling perennial that seldom grows taller than 20 cm. It is found in the meadows from May until September. Yellow flowers appear in small clusters and are often tinged with red. It gets its name from the seed pods that look similar to bird's feet or claws. The leaves have five leaflets and are downy.

Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil Lotus pedunculatus is a perennial found in damp locations from June until August. Its yellow or orange-yellow flowers (10-18 mm) appear together in groups of 5 to 12. The hollow stemmed plants grow to a height of roughly 50 cm. They are stoloniferous, with greyish, often downy leaves and have spreading sepals when in bud.

Lucerne Medicago sativa is a perennial with purple flowers (7-11 mm) that appear in June and July, Its trefoil leaves have toothed oval leaflets. This plant often appears around field edges where crops have been grown previously. It is grown as food for livestock animals. Sometimes known as Alfalfa.

Spotted Medick Medicago arabica has dark spotted trefoil leaves. Occasionally there may be a lack of spots in which case other details have to be examined. Leaflets are heart-shaped with a tiny point near the apex. The yellow flowers (5-7mm across) can be solitary, or several may be grouped together. The pod is spiralled with 4-7 turns.

Hop Trefoil Trifolium campestre is a short, hairy annual with long-stalked trefoil leaves found in dry grassland. The roundish yellow flowers (10-15mm) appear from May until September. Dead flowers turn light-brown and hide the pods. Not very common in Hainault Forest. 

White Clover Trifolium repens is a low-growing creeping perennial that almost always has trifoliolate leaves; the shape characterised by the leaf being divided into three leaflets, however occasionally there may be four or more. Tri in Latin means 'three' and folium means 'leaf'. The species name repens  means 'creeping'. The whitish flower-heads, usually 15-20mm across, often develop a pinkish or creamy tinge with age. The stems operate as stolons so the plant often forms mats with the stems creeping as much as 18cm each year and rooting at the nodes.

Common Vetch Vicia sativa is a sprawling plant with pinkish-purple flowers and long stems that have curly tendrils on the ends. Its opposite leaves growing along the stems are oval-shaped with a fold in the centre.

Bithynian Vetch Vicia bithynica is named after Bithynia, an ancient kingdom located on the north coast of Anatolia in Turkey. Thank you to Essex Field Club botanist, Enid Barrie, and Dr. Ken Adams at the Essex Botanical Society, for verifying Brian Ecott's discovery. In Britain, this plant is usually seen near the sea and not usually in large quantities. It occasionally turns up inland, possibly due to warmer climate. This climbing or scrambling annual has distinctive purple and white flowers measuring 16-20mm across. The pods, 20-30mm, contain 4-8 seeds. There are distinctive toothed stipules. The bend in Foxburrow Road, close to where this is growing, suffers from dangerous black ice during winter, so is always heavily salted to prevent accidents. Some coastal plants, such as Danish scurvy-grass, have spread across Britain on roads that have been salted. How Bithynian Vetch seeds arrived here is unknown, but salty conditions might certainly have helped these plants flourish.

Fyfield Pea Lathyrus tuberosus is a fairly uncommon scrambling perennial with large pinkish flowers (up to 20mm). Two to seven flowers appear on short spikelets. The leaves consist of one pair of oval leaflets. A tendril is situated at the end of each leaf.

Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia is a delicate annual which small crimson flowers (8-18mm across) and grass-like leaves. Flowers appear either singly or in pairs on a long slender stalk. Often found from May until July in grassland.

White Melilot Melilotus albus germinates in spring and white flowers appear from July until September. This annual is rarely found in Hainault Forest.

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