Four flowers to ID please

[ian_g]

Hi all,

I've added these four photos to my website of recent and I thought I had identified them correctly until a very helpful chap, John Crellin (www.floralimages.co.uk) sowed some seeds of doubt, so to speak!

Here they are, are any of you able to positively identify them?

Many thanks in advance,
Ian G

[ian_g]

John said that the violet is probably V. reichenbachiana, (Early Dog-violet) and that the vetch is difficult to be sure but could be an early Tufted Vetch.

All four shots were taken in Hampshire, all last weekend if time and location help with identification purposes.

Ian G

[Imaginos]

Not sure on the violet, the vetch does look like a tufted, the last two both look like greater stitchwort.

[ian_g]

Hi Imaginos,

I think there's a distinct difference between the two white flowers for the way the petals are separated (not sure of the technical term). The one I thought I'd identified as Greater Stitchwort has ten petals but there is a definite separation of five groups of two, whereas the one I identified as Greater Chickweed has ten petals but all very much equally separated.

Can anyone add to this as I feel they are both different flowers.

Cheers,
Ian G

[Jonny]

Its hard to tell from the photo's of the first two especially the first one, but the second looks more like common vetch, because of the flowers being in pairs (or are they ?).
I think both the last are greater stichwort though...................Jon

[Imaginos]

Originally Posted by ian_g

Hi Imaginos,

I think there's a distinct difference between the two white flowers for the way the petals are separated (not sure of the technical term). The one I thought I'd identified as Greater Stitchwort has ten petals but there is a definite separation of five groups of two, whereas the one I identified as Greater Chickweed has ten petals but all very much equally separated.

Can anyone add to this as I feel they are both different flowers.

Hi Ian,
I know where you're coming from, but the left-most flower in the fourth picture looks very much like the third picture, I think this is just an artefact and they are both the same species.
As for the vetch-it looks like the start of a raceme rather than paired flowers, the colour is right for tufted too.

[fbcpmike]

#4 is Greater Stitchwort, it has 5 petals that are deeply cut or lobed.
#3 I think is also Greater Stitchwort as the 5 petals and cuts can just be made out although a higher resolution image would helpfull. The shape of #3 is also more regularly spaced than #4 which also confuses into thinking there are 10 petals.
I would go with Early Dog Violet for #1.
#2 is a Vetch but I don't have a book to hand to see which one.

[ian_g]

Okay, I always go with the consensous.

Early Dog-Violet it is (any name with something other than 'common' wins my vote!)
Tufted Vetch is it (the same rule applies!)
and finally I shall back down for you're all far greater experts than me with identification, so I'll go along with both being Greater Stitchwort, it's just a case of me deciding which is the better image!

Decisions decisions


Thanks for all your help, I'm off on a wildflower hunt now seeing as it's a beautiful evening here in Bolton...

Ian G

[ian_g]

Me again...

Does anyone know where I might obtain (obviously edit) some information on the net about the Greater Stitchwort, I've found plenty about the Common one but nothing about the Greater.

I usually like to include some information about the species within my flora, fauna and birds sections.

Cheers, Ian

[jennyb]

It is quite a coincidence that you started this thread. I was wrestling with the same stitchwort problem yesterday.

I took these 2 photos which I guess are both greater stitchwort, but to me they look quite different. Does everyone think they are both greater stitchwort?

Jenny