A couple for ID

davidbr · #1 (**permalink**) 03-04-2009, 06:13 PM

This Mouse-ear was photographed this afternoon on Weston-super-Mare seafront; I reckon it's Sea Mouse-ear (Cerastium diffusum), but I'm not great on these tiny spring plants so a second opinion would be helpful!

And these violets were in a group at the end of Sand Point, also photographed today. The shape of the sepals & general colour has led me to think it's Hairy Violet, Viola hirta, but again a second opinion would be good!

leifus · #2 (**permalink**) 03-04-2009, 06:15 PM

both ids correct

Tiggrx · #3 (**permalink**) 03-04-2009, 06:29 PM

The Mouse-ear isn't Sea Mouse-ear, which nearly always has 4 petals and also differs in other characters.

The first two pictures look more like Little Mouse-ear (Cerasium semidecandrum) to me.

The third pic is not the same species (especially look at the extent of the papery semi-transparent area on the sepals, hair length and petal size/shape). It looks more like Sticky Mouse-ear (C. glomeratum) but I'm not convinced.

davidbr · #4 (**permalink**) 04-04-2009, 11:15 PM

That's what happens when you make assumptions - the three photos aren't of the same plant, but since they were growing within a couple of feet of one another I'd assumed they'd be the same species

Thanks, Tiggrx; the first two certainly look like C. semidecandrum (and are images of the same flower) so that's what I'm going to put them down as

As for No. 3, I'm pretty sure it isn't Sticky Mouse-ear; you can't really see from the photo, but the flowers weren't bunched at the end of the stem as I always find with C. glomeratum. From what I can find, I can only assume it's Common Mouse-ear, C. fontanum - it'll teach me to take more care in future when photographing these tiny ground-hugging plants

davidbr · #5 (**permalink**) 04-04-2009, 11:28 PM

Could I also have an opinion on this one, photographed along the River Avon in central Bristol on March 27th? I'd originally ID'd it as Common Mouse-ear, C. fontanum, but I've just noticed that the flowers have only four petals, whilst every plant & picture of C. fontanum I've ever seen has five

Tiggrx · #6 (**permalink**) 05-04-2009, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidbr

Could I also have an opinion on this one, photographed along the River Avon in central Bristol on March 27th? I'd originally ID'd it as Common Mouse-ear, C. fontanum, but I've just noticed that the flowers have only four petals, whilst every plant & picture of C. fontanum I've ever seen has five

I think this is Sea Mouse-ear (C. diffusum).