Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)
I have been out foraging for a bunch of midwinter street greens for Hollis, who has taken over the bimonthly street plant roundup from Lucy at Loose and Leafy.
Hollis’ main blog is In the Company of Plants and Rocks but she has a special place for urban plants here.
I had been looking off and on for a while, but in the end, on Christmas Eve, I decided to concentrate on the plants that grow on the best wall I know, outside the Chapter Arts Centre here in Cardiff. The centre is housed in the old Cantonian High School, which was built of lovely red bricks in 1905.
Possibly willowherb (Epilobium)?
It has probably been a typical year for street plants. Everything was flourishing in summer, then we had some very dry months, which killed off a lot of them. Since then we have had about three VERY wet and mild months and everyone seems to have swept away the “weeds” from the pavement edges along with the fallen autumn leaves.
But growing in the cracks on the wall I found plenty of soft new growth. As usual there are leaves I can identify immediately and some that escape identification every year until the flowers come out…
Ivy-leaved toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)
Not sure about this one, although last year I thought it was going to be a daisy (Bellis perennis) – now I don’t think so, and neither does Reg Joh, according to his comment…
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) goes on and on…
One of those dandelion-type plants I can’t easily name
I thought this was a sow thistle (Sonchus), but according to a comment from Reg it’s that other old favourite of mine, wall lettuce (Lactuca muralis) – I can tell the difference when they are in flower!
Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
This groundsel has even managed to flower in midwinter
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
A rather elegant ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) – plus a less elegant cigarette butt
My first thought was chickweed (Stellaria media), but the leaves are wrong. It reminds me of a spindly goosegrass or bedstraw (both Galium) – but Reg suggests it is a chickweed, maybe of a Cerastium species and definitely not a Galium
I’ve no idea what this is, but the leaves are luxuriant
Now if you haven’t already, go and look at Hollis’ urban plants in Wyoming here, where there is snow on the ground but still plenty of interest!
All my urban plant blog posts are here.
The Squirrelbasket 
I think the first unidentified one might be Red Valerian Centranthus ruber.
Do you mean the one I thought was willowherb or the one I thought was a daisy?
I will add to the caption if you clarify which.
Certainly there is lots of red valerian in the area but I never recognise it until it’s in flower!
Thanks and have a great new year 🙂
Thank you for sharing have a wonderful and blessed day
And you – throughout 2016 🙂
Thanks, sb, for contributing your street plants post. Since we followers are few, not like tree followers, I’m not bothering to set up a linky box. And people can contribute whenever they stumble upon the site.
A good idea!
By the way, did I see in the news there was flooding in Wyoming last week?
All the best for 2016 🙂
I reckon you’re right about the willowherb. The Galium, if it is Galium, is more likely to be goosegrass as I’ve never seen a bedstraw in a wall. Having just looked them up, there is something called a wall bedstraw, but it’s rare! I’m sure you’ll agree plant identification without their flowers is so.. so.. so… frustrating!!
Indeed! Although sometimes I can work it out with hindsight, when I remember seeing something similar in the same spot with flowers earlier in the year!
I’m still struggling with some winter trees, too.
All the best 🙂
The ‘possible’ willowherb, definitely is. The ‘sow thistle’ is actually wall lettuce, which used to be Lactuca muralis but is now something else. Reddish stems, no spines, and a huge terminal leaflet make it wall lettuce. The chickweed/bedstraw looks like it might be another chickweed, in the genus Cerastium. Stellaria and Cerastium both have opposite leaves, in pairs, while Galium has whorled leaves in 4s or 6es. Your other unknowns I don’t know either, except that the maybe daisy is not a daisy, as Bellis perennis has rounded leaf tips.
Right, That all sounds perfectly logical.
What threw me about the chickweed was the placement of the leaves, so thanks for that. Who’d have thought there would be more than one chickweed species in one stretch of street?
I’m embarrassed about the sow thistle and wall lettuce, as I thought I had those nailed in a blog post earlier in the year! See here…
I must amend my captions.
All the best 🙂
Fascinating – I will never look at a crack in the wall in the same way again!
It is a PARTICULARLY good wall!
Happy 2016 🙂