55.) APOCYNACEAE & HYDROPHYLLACEAE

APOCYNACEAE - Periwinkle family

VINCA L.

Vinca minor L. (Lesser Periwinkle) / Woodland Uncommon Naturalised in hedgerows, woodland, lanesides and disturbed derelict places; often close to habitation. Extensively established in some places such as in the woods at Blaise Castle Estate where it's dense mat-like growth carpets the ground, suppressing native ground flora. Usually its flowers are blue but occasionally white and magenta forms are encountered. A double-flowered form was found "in Portishead Wood; H.J. Wadlow." (White, 1912). Also sometimes with variegated leaves.
Vinca difformis Pourr. (Intermediate Periwinkle) General Rare A rare garden escape or throwout, found in churchyards and lane-sides; mostly from the Somerset part of the region. First recorded at ST45J in 2010s by ?; ST76T in 2010s by ?; ST76Y in 2020s by ?; Sand Point in 2020s by ?; ST45E in 2020s by ?; ST55Y in 2020s by ?; ST65M in 2020s by ? [BSBI records]; first found in the Gloucestershire part of the region at St Andrew's Churchyard, Clifton during a BNS New Year Plant Hunt in 2022 by D. Peters; and found escaping from a garden on Trym Road, Westbury-on-Trym in 2022 also by D. Peters. It is somewhat similar to V. minor in having hairless leaf margins and calyx-lobes but is more robust, has pale whitish-blue flowers which are larger in size and flowers through the winter.

[Perhaps only mention first record.]

Vinca major L. (Greater Periwinkle) / Woodland Frequent A frequent garden escape, well-established along lane-sides, in woods, scrub, amongst hedgerows and railway banks; often found close to habitation and 'jumping over the fence'. Historically this was much less frequent than V. minor but today this is by far the more common Periwinkle. Occasionally found with variegated leaves.
var. major Woodland Frequent The nominate variety to which most records relate.
var. oxyloba Stearn Woodland Rare A rare variety with narrow acute corolla lobes which are darker violet-blue in colour. First recorded in our region escaping from a garden backing onto Leigh Woods in 2010s by ? [BSBI record]. Also of note, found very well-established in an abandoned garden beside Hazel Brook, Blaise Castle Estate in 2022 by D. Peters.

[8 records on BSBI plus my own.]

HYDROPHYLLACEAE - Phacelia family

PHACELIA Juss.

Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. (Phacelia) / General Scarce Widely grown as green manure and commonly included in ornamental seed mixes. It frequently escapes around gardens and allotments and occurs as a casual on newly made ground. This Californian native is often sown en masse and overzealously branded as 'pollinator friendly', much to the dismay of botanists. First recorded locally at St Anne's, Brislington in 1927 and Avonmouth Docks in 1928 by C.I. Sandwith [BMAG].
Phacelia ciliata Benth. var. ciliata (Great Valley Phacelia - GBIF, Ciliate Phacelia?) General Extinct A native of California and north-west Mexico; recorded at St Philip's Marsh in 1919 by C.I. Sandwith and Avonmouth Docks in 1921 by ? [BMAG] and again in 1931-2 by C.I. Sandwith and H.J. Gibbons; seen there for the last time in 1933 by ? [BMAG].

[Confused by why the 1921 record isn't mentioned in Sandwith (1932). Is it possible the date was wrongly entered and should have been 1931? Needs checking.]

Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn. (var. menziesii) (Baby-blue-eyes) General Very Rare Recorded at Yate in 2019 by dojo79.

[Is this reliable? I've seen it myself recently sown on an illegally claimed grass bank in front of a garden on Muller Rd - keeping a close eye on it should it escape.]

List:

Vinca minor L. (Lesser Periwinkle) / Woodland
Vinca difformis Pourr. (Intermediate Periwinkle) General
Vinca major L. (var. major) (Greater Periwinkle) / Woodland
Vinca major L. var. oxyloba Stearn (Greater Periwinkle) Woodland
Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. (Phacelia) / General
Phacelia ciliata Benth. var. ciliata (Great Valley Phacelia - GBIF, Ciliate Phacelia?) General
Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn. (var. menziesii - Kew, GBIF) (Baby-blue-eyes) General

Species to add:

Vinca difformis Pourr. (Intermediate Periwinkle) /
Vinca major L. var. oxyloba Stearn (Greater Periwinkle) /
Phacelia ciliata Benth. var. ciliata (Great Valley Phacelia - GBIF, Ciliate Phacelia?) /
Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn. (var. menziesii - Kew, GBIF) (Baby-blue-eyes) /