152 The Scarce Plants of Essex. Part 2.
James C Shenstone. Herbarium SRD.
19 Stanway, Dr Ezekiel Varenne. (Gibson 1862).
998,248 19 St. Giles, Colchester, W L P Gamons. (Gibson 1862).
TM(62)02 19 Nr. Colchester, field and old gravel pit, 1952-3. Miss M
K Colman.
19 Wivenhoe, August 1887. J Tempere. Herbarium SRD.
TM(62)01/02 19 Thorrington, Dr Ezekiel Varenne. (Gibson 1862).
TM(62)02 19 Nr. Dedham, several places, William H Colman. (Gibson 1862).
TM(62) 12 19 Weeley, dry hedge bank. Botanical Exchange Club
Report (1945) 52.
TM(62)12/13 19 Nr. Mistley, hedge. Edward Forster. (Gibson 1862).
Arum italicum Mill ssp. neglectum F.Towns Italian lords-and-ladies
ssp. italicum
Essex Status: Introduced/garden throwouts.
Although native along the south coast and in south-west England, ssp. italicum and the cultivated ssp.
neglectum are introductions in Essex. As most botanists in Essex have not separated the two subspecies,
it would be premature to list our records. Since A. maculatum can sometimes have a yellow spadix, it
is necessary to note whether it extends to only 1/3 of the way up the expanded part of the spathe, or up
to 1/2 way as in A. maculatum, and whether the leaves have a paler midrib and a longer fruit spike (10-
15cm) or the concolorous midrib and short fruit spike (3-5cm) of A. maculatum. The two subspecies
are separated by the divergent (i) or convergent (n) basal lobes of the leaves, white (i) or just slightly
paler (n) veins to the leaves and 2-4 (i) as opposed to only 1 -2 (n) seeds per fruit.
Brassica oleracea var. oleracea Wild cabbage
Essex status: Arabic escape.
This is the so-called Wild Cabbage of sea cliffs. Unfortunately, the var. capitata (Cultivated Cabbage)
rapidly reverts after a few generations in the wild, and in any case it is none too certain that the cliff
cabbages in the U.K. are anything other than long established reverted escapes from cultivation as far
back as Roman times. Edward Forster (c.1800) recorded var. oleracea from the cliffs at Southend
(then only a small town with crumbling London Clay cliffs), but Gibson (1862) regarded the plants as
being reverted escapes from cultivation. Thus we have no evidence that the genuine Wild Cabbage has
ever occurred in Essex. Furthermore there would seem to be little point in recording occurrences of
odd plants of var. capitata persisting after a cabbage crop.
Bupleurum tenuissimum L. Slender hare's-ear
Essex status: Native.
As its name suggests, this is a slender, wiry, annual Umbellifer, with narrow grass-like leaves, making
it inconspicuous, except when in flower, and therefore easily overlooked. It appears to require bare and
ideally disturbed ground to get established, but can tolerate the saline soils of the upper parts of salt
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)