Twisted Galvanised Wire Plant?

[IanP]

I can't find this rather weird (if common) plant in my references, but its appearance suggests the title of this post. Please enlighten me.

A little easier, please confirm Shepherds Purse on the left and Pineapple Weed on the right.

Thanks,

Ian

[Dorts]

Ian, you plant is Hedge Mustard - Sisymbrium officinale, a common wayside plant.
And yes there is Shepherd's Purse to the left and top-right and Pineapleweed behind, though I notice a couple of flowers with petals on the plant to the right which could be a bit of a Mayweed.
Dorts.

[IanP]

Hi Dorts, In my search for knowledge (a bit belated), I see a lot more than I used to, on my walks. This is one plant I've dismissed in the past, not least because of its appearance. I should show it more respect:

Hedge mustard is a diuretic, expectorant, tonic and laxative. herbalists use the juice and flowers to treat bronchitis and stomach ailment, among other uses, and as a revitaliser.[1] In Tibetan medicine it is used to repress the symptoms of food poisoning (Wiki).

Another apparently insignificant plant I've just got round to naming is Mugwort.

Thanks also for spotting the white flower on the right. Here's a better photo that I identified as Mayweed Chamomile. In the distance, it looked like a poor sample of Oxeye Daisy:

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by IanP

I can't find this rather weird (if common) plant in my references, but its appearance suggests the title of this post. Please enlighten me.

A little easier, please confirm Shepherds Purse on the left and Pineapple Weed on the right.

Thanks,

Ian

hi Ian

was this in Yorkshire?

the reason it looks like galvanised wire is that it has been heavily attacked by the powdery mildew Erysiphe cruciferarum - could you PM me the details if it was in Yorkshire (I'm the county mycological recorder)

this thread might be of some interest to all the keen botanists on this forum: Fungal Plant Parasites

cheers

Chris

[IanP]

Hi, Chris,

yes, in South Yorkshire; see map. I was out again today, near Cannon Hall, and saw better specimens, all a nice shade of green.

Hope this helps. Meantime, I'll post to the site you suggest.

Ian

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by IanP

Thanks also for spotting the white flower on the right. Here's a better photo that I identified as Mayweed Chamomile. In the distance, it looked like a poor sample of Oxeye Daisy:

Steve, you need to remember what it smelt like.
No scent = Scentless Mayweed.
Pleasant scent = Scented Mayweed.
Sickly scent = Stinking Chamomile.
Dorts.

[IanP]

Hi again, Dorts,

Being in my probationary year, I've still to master close-up photography, never mind smells! I'll keep at it. Unfortunately, I'm not likely to be passing the same spot in the near future to double check.

Ian

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by IanP

Hi, Chris,

yes, in South Yorkshire; see map. I was out again today, near Cannon Hall, and saw better specimens, all a nice shade of green.

Hope this helps. Meantime, I'll post to the site you suggest.

Ian

cheers Ian

I know that area well, the Wentworth follies etc, from when I used to work at Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham; of course from a mycologist's point of view 'healthy green' is not 'better'

best

Chris