WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

PLATANACEAE - Plane family

PLATANUS L.

• Platanus occidentalis × P. orientalis = P. x hispanica Mill. ex Münchh. (London Plane) / General Frequent A common urban tree of streets and parks throughout Bristol and sparse but well distributed elsewhere. Much planted during the 19th century for its ability to cope in areas of high pollution due to its characteristic flaking bark which constantly shed away any built up pollutants. A number of grand specimens exist around the older parts of Bristol. One of the best examples to be seen exists on the corner of Alma Road just off Whiteladies Road. Anyone who has taken a ride on a double-decker bus along Gloucester and Cheltenham Road will know the characteristic clunking noises produced as London Plane branches scrape past - an occurrence of which over many years has left one portion of the trees distinctly bus-shaped.

PLATANACEAE - Plane family

• Platanus orientalis L. (Oriental Plane) General Rare Planted as for London Plane around western and central Bristol but much rarer and probably under-recorded for it; very sparse elsewhere. It differs from the London Plane in having more deeply lobed leaves (the lobes being distinctly longer than wide).

BUXACEAE - Box family

BUXUS L.

• Buxus sempervirens L. (Box) / Woodland Uncommon As a possible native, rare and confined to the North-east of the region around a set of woods known as “The Warren,” between Wotton-under-Edge and Alderly. Occurs much more widely as a garden escape or deliberate planting in hedges and occasionally naturalised in limestone woods such as Cleeve Hill and Goblin Combe (thought to have been originally planted as cover for game). Until recently Box was a staple of British gardens and had been for centuries - that was, until the arrival of the Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis. Originating from Asia on imported plants, it was first recorded in Britain in 2007 from Kent and from the Bristol Region in 2009 and remained elusive for a number of years until around 2017. Since then the expansion of this Moth has been so great that virtually all Box has been decimated. All sorts of methods have been used to try and control this invasive species from pheromone traps and nematodes to picking off the caterpillars by hand and resorting to drastically cutting off damaged sections, but unless local wildlife - birds and parasitic wasps can catch up to the cycles of this non-native, It may be that Box is soon to become extinct in our region. A great lesson is to be learnt from the madness of importing plants from outside the UK when they can be produced from within. It is sad that this complete lack of biosecurity to prevent the spread of pests and diseases continues today and after such great outbreaks as Dutch Elm Disease and currently Ash Die-back. It's only a matter of time before the next one arrives.

• Buxus balearica Lam. (Balearic Box) General Very Rare Very rare garden outcast or planted relic. Recorded at Camerton Park in 1986 by C. & S. Mathews and most recently from Tyntesfield in 2011 by J. Oliver. White (1912) mentions “a fine example” standing in a field facing Siston Court, Mangotsfield.

GUNNERACEAE - Giant-rhubarb family

• Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirb. (Giant-rhubarb) General Very Rare Very rarely persisting by ponds where originally planted. First recorded in the region at the Old Bristol Botanic Garden, Leigh Woods in 2004 by J. Mortin, then at Oldbury Court in 2012 by N. Green, and Congresbury in 2014 by R. Comont. Widely cultivated for its impressive size and appearance.

[additional record at Hunter’s Lodge, Cowhill in 2017 by D. Williams - outside region?]

PAEONIACEAE - Peony family

PAEONIA L.

• Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill. (Peony) General Very Rare Very rare. Discovered on the steep limestone cliffs of Steep Holm in 1803 by Francis Bowcher Wright, when it was said to be abundant and “Two fishermen testify having gathered its flowers sixty or seventy years ago.” (Murray, 1896). Since that date the population has fluctuated but slowly diminished due to increased tourist attraction of the island and collecting. In 1850 only two plants were seen by Mr. Flower. In 1891 J.W. White & R.P. Murray found it almost confined to one spot but were told that “plants now and then spring up elsewhere.” “Probably the whole number is under twenty.” By 1969 the plants had been out-shaded by sycamores and had become infected with mildew - one plant was transplanted to drier ground by the visitor centre and since then intervention has been taken and further plants were added to try and boost the population, whilst the wild colony dwindled. In 2009 J. Martin recorded several plants growing in wire cages near the barracks (last recorded here in 2014 by C.M. Lovatt). In that same year there were also two sickly plants growing in a cage by the priory and In 2022 only a single flowering plant was found by S. Parker. Now sadly this lone caged-off plant appears to be the last. It’s thought that Paeonia macula may have been introduced to Steep Holm when it was inhabited by Medieval monks who may have cultivated it for the medicinal properties of its roots. Also discovered naturalised in woodland near Banwell where it has been known since 1979 by S. Rendell. Allegedly it was planted in the garden of The Caves at Banwell, by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, between 1824 and 1835 (from where it’s theorised to have escaped). In 1989 26 plants were recorded by I. Taylor and a further four which had been transplanted into the garden. The last record for this site was in 2004, when a single plant was shown to A. Stevenson by the landowner.

• Paeonia officinalis L. (Garden Peony) General Very Rare Widely grown in gardens but occasionally escapes into the wild onto road verges and waste ground. [Recorded at Radstock in 2002 by ?, Nailsea in 2016 by ?, Bradley Stoke in 2010s? [BSBI record], Clifton? In 2019 by ?, Stoke Park in 2019 by ? and Oldbury-on-Severn in 2020s? [BSBI record] by?]. White (1912) mentions Mr. Rootsey finding it “growing wild in a thicket near Blaise Castle.” “There were two or three specimens, but not in flower.” He later states “Mrs. Harford remembers the Peony growing in Blaise Castle Woods, and that it was exterminated by the public many years ago when admission was unrestricted” and that “Several plants have been introduced on the Blaise Castle Estate.”

[Maybe don’t list records]

• Paeonia ludlowii (Stern & G. Taylor) D.Y. Hong (Tibetan Tree Peony / Ludlow's Tree Peony) / General Very Rare Discovered in 2022 by D. Peters where a single shrub was found outside a private garden (presumably a planted relic) backing onto the northern corner or Royal Meadow, Blaise Castle and another on the edge of a patch of woodland adjacent to Henbury Rd.

GROSSULARIACEAE - Gooseberry family

RIBES L.

• Ribes rubrum L. (Red Currant) / Woodland Frequent Widespread and locally frequent in woods and hedgerows, often in damp spots close to rivers and streams. Widely cultivated and occasionally occurring as a garden escape.

• Ribes nigrum L. (Black Currant) - General Uncommon Widely cultivated but an uncommon introduction, usually found occurring beside rivers and streams in damp woodland. Black Currant is probably most famous for being the main ingredient of Ribena - which was invented locally. During the early 1930s at the Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station in North Somerset (closed in 2003), development was underway into creating pure fruit syrups for the manufacture of soft drinks, using a pectinase enzyme process and in 1933 Ribena was developed by biochemist Audrey Green and scientist Vernon Charley, from the University of Bristol. The drink was named after the plant's latin name ‘Ribes nigrum’ in 1938 by Mr. S.M. Lennox, before going into production later that year and was initially manufactured by the Bristol-based food and drink company H.W. Carter. During WWII Ribena was in high demand when fruits high in vitamin C such as oranges and lemons became harder to get hold of due to German submarine attacks on cargo ships and was for a time distributed free to expectant mothers and children under the age of two.

• Ribes sanguineum Pursh (Flowering Currant) / General Rare A rare garden escape which is occasionally found self-sown on walls and waste ground close to habitation. Mostly concentrated around Bristol.

• Ribes odoratum H.L. Wendl. (Buffalo Currant) Very Rare Recorded once at Winscombe in 2020s? by ? [BSBI record]

• Ribes alpinum L. (Mountain Currant) General Extinct Recorded once at Rowberrow in 1980s? by ? [BSBI record]. Additionally mentioned to be recorded from Hotwells, Bristol in 1748 by Mr. Hill (Riddelsdell, 1948) - the author states "This may be R. rubrum L.; but is not impossibly R. alpinum." Mountain Currant is only thought to be native in the North of Britain, coming down to around the Peak District and everywhere South of that line are introductions but it's not unlikely if some southern populations may be the result of long-distant seed dispersal by migrating birds. In its native habitat R. alpinum grows in limestone woods often on rock exposed areas and cliffs.

• Ribes uva-crispa L. (Gooseberry) / Woodland Frequent Locally frequent in woods and hedgerows; particularly rocky banks close to rivers and streams. Previously considered a possible native but it’s likely that populations looking truly wild have just been long naturalised. It rarely seems to produce flowers or fruit in such situations.

• Ribes divaricatum Douglas (Coast Gooseberry) Very Rare Recorded once at Greenbank Cemetery? in 2010s? by ? [BSBI record]