64.) ACANTHACEAE to VERBENACEAE

ACANTHACEAE - Bear's-breech family

ACANTHUS L.

Acanthus mollis L. (Bear's-breach) / General Rare Widely grown as a statement plant and sometimes persists after abandonment and self-seeds from planted sources. First recorded in our region from Stoke Bishop in 1984 by I.F. Gravestock.
Acanthus spinosus L. (Spiny Bear's-breach) - General Very Rare Grown as for A. mollis but rarer. First recorded in our region on an old railway bank at Radstock, North Somerset in 1997 by J.P. Martin.

[Recently found in Felton near Bristol Airport in 2025 by I.P. Green. (Nature in Avon 2025, p. 193).]

THUNBERGIA Retz.

Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims (Black-eyed Susan Vine) General Very Rare A single plant was found clambering over bike stands outside the Mouse pub in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol in 2025 by D. Peters where it had probably self-seeded from a nearby garden - a first record for the region and a second for the British Isles.

BIGNONIACEAE - Indian Bean family

CATALPA Scop.

Catalpa bignonioides Walter (Indian Bean-tree) General Rare A native of south-eastern USA; widely planted in urban areas for its showy cream flowers and long bean-like fruits, mainly around Bristol.

[Anything interesting to add?]

LENTIBULARIACEAE - Bladderwort family

PINGUICULA L.

Pinguicula vulgaris L. (Common Butterwort) 1875 Wetland Extinct Historically occurred in "a boggy dell or ravine near Gurney Slade and Old Down, on the road from Wells to Bath, 1875; Miss Livett. This spot has been drained and the plant lost." (White, 1912).

UTRICULARIA L.

Utricularia vulgaris L. (Greater Bladderwort) - Wetland Very Rare Very rare and confined to pristine acidic rhynes and open ponds in the Gordano Valley and Nailsea Moor.
Utricularia australis R. Br. (Bladderwort) Wetland Very Rare Recently discovered in the Gordano Valley in 2010s by ? [BSBI record] where it occurs in small quantity.

[There also appears to be a historical record from the area. Need to ask David. 1999 record from Latteridge needs checking.]

Utricularia intermedia Hayne (Intermediate Bladderwort) Wetland Extinct "In 1894 I took from a ditch on Clapton Moor in the Walton valley some flowerless Bladder-wort which appeared to have bladders on leafless shoots, the peculiar character of this seldom-flowering species. The Rev. E. F. Linton was inclined to concur on a first examination of my specimen, and on this basis U. intermedia was published as a Somerset plant in Journ Bot. 1901 p. 92. But we have never met with any flowers to complete the specimen, and this inability rendered the determination so doubtful that it was thought advisable later to withdraw the too hasty record as a possible error...My plant remains unnamed and barren." (White, 1912). There has been no further mention of it since but it is possible that it may have actually been U. stygia (Nordic Bladderwort) or U. ochroleuca (Pale Bladderwort) which all share the character of having stems of two sorts: free-floating leafy ones without bladders, and barren leafless ones with bladders.

[It would be nice to resolve this. Perhaps if we can find the specimen, we could get it DNA tested?]

Utricularia minor L. (Lesser Bladderwort) Wetland Extinct In the past this species with "fine delicate stems..., barren, with glabrous winter-buds", were apparently "abundant in ditches on Clapton and Weston Moor's in the Walton Valley; and on Kenn Moor." (White, 1912).

[1999 record from Bath Spa University College Newton Park Campus needs checking. There are also 2 unidentified Utricularia records from Weston Moor in 2004.]

VERBENACEAE - Vervain family

Verbena officinalis L. (Vervain) / General Frequent Widespread and locally frequent on dry ground along rutted tracks, railway sidings, in disturbed open grassland, brownfield sites and city docks.
var. officinalis The typical wild plant to which most records refer.
var. grandiflora ‘Bampton’ (Vervain 'Bampton') General Very Rare A distinctive plant with dark purple foliage and pink flowers which apparently arose as a natural oddity from cultivated plants of the more robust southern European var. grandiflora in a public garden in Bampton, Devon. It is becoming increasingly popular in gardens and sometimes escapes and becomes more or less naturalised on block paving, pavements and kerbsides. First discovered on Wellington Hill and nearby Glenwood Road, Southmead, Bristol in 2022, and on Selborne Road, Ashley Down in 2025 by D. Peters.
Verbena supina L. (Supine Vervain - GBIF) - [Glos. Fl.] General Extinct A native of the Mediterranean; recorded at Baptist Mills in 1925 by C.I. Sandwith.

Verbena x *hybrida Groenl. & Rümpler (Glandularia peruviana × G. phlogiflora × G. platensis × G. tweedieana = G. × hybrida* (Groenland & Rümpler) G.L. Nesom & Pruski) (Bedding Verbena) General Very Rare Recorded at ST67B in 2010s by ? [BSBI record] and on Staple Hill, Kingswood in 2018 by ivorcombine [CNC record].

[Is the 2018 record trustworthy?]

Verbena bonariensis L. (Argentine Vervain) General Uncommon A very popular plant in gardens and public planting schemes; frequently found escaping and becoming naturalised along pavements and other nearby ground. It's hard to imagine that this is only a recent addition to British gardens considering its popularity. It has almost become quintessential. First recorded in our region from ST57 in 1940s by ? [BSBI record] and from Hotwells, Bristol in 2002 by R.L. Bland.
Verbena incompta P.W. Michael (Purpletop Vervain) General Very Rare A very rare introduction. Discovered for the first time at Castle Park in 2023 by D. Peters and has since become more or less naturalised there. Also found by D. Peters as a garden escape on Thornleigh Road, Bishopston in 2024 and on Vale Street, Totterdown in 2025. It is becoming increasingly popular in gardens and should be expected to become more frequent in the future. Though, peculiarly there doesn't appear to be any mention of it on garden websites; suggesting, maybe it's slipping through the net as V. bonariensis. It differs from the now frequently encountered V. bonariensis in having broader, slightly brighter green leaves which are more deeply serrate, significantly less rough to touch and possesses conspicuous flower heads which elongate into distinct spikes rather than remaining compact. Also the flowers themselves are a much paler hue.
Verbena hastata L. (American Vervain) General Very Rare Recorded on Frenchay Park Road, Frome Vale in 2018 by D. Powell [CNC record].

[Is this trustwothy?]

Verbena rigida Spreng. (Slender Vervain) 1980 General Very Rare Widely grown in gardens and rarely self-seeding from nearby sources. Recently recorded at Bath in 2020s by ? [BSBI record]; and several times around Bristol by D. Peters: behind the orangery at Blaise Castle Estate in 2024, at Snuff Mills in 2024; and a single plant on a brick wall on Wellington Hill in 2025.
Verbena tenera Spreng. (Glandularia tenera (Spreng.) Cabrera) (Latin American Mock Vervain - GBIF) 1932 General Extinct A native of South America; found on the site of an old fowl-run about to be built on at Bedminster, Bristol in 1918 by M. Cobbe and again in 1932 by C.I. Sandwith. These are the first and only records for the British Isles.

List:

Acanthus mollis L. (Bear's-breach) / General
Acanthus spinosus L. (Spiny Bear's-breach) - General - [found in Felton near Bristol Airport in 2025 by I.P. Green. (Nature in Avon 2025, p. 193).]
Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims (Black-eyed Susan Vine) General
Catalpa bignonioides Walter (Indian Bean-tree) General
Pinguicula vulgaris L. (Common Butterwort) 1875 Wetland
Utricularia vulgaris L. (Greater Bladderwort) - Wetland
Utricularia australis (Bladderwort) - 1 record according to NBN, BSBI - recorded South of the region at Shapwick Moor by Mr. D. Fry (9th Sep, 1902) Brist. Fl. Wetland
Utricularia intermedia (Intermediate Bladderwort) - Brist. Fl. White recorded it from Clapton Moor in 1894 but it was never confirmed. It could potentially have been U. stygia (Nordic Bladderwort) or U. ochroleuca (Pale Bladderwort) Wetland
Utricularia minor (Lesser Bladderwort) - 1 record according to NBN and another just South of the region. In the past it was abundant in ditches on Clapton, Weston and Kenn Moor's Brist. Fl. Wetland
Verbena officinalis L. (var. officinalis - Kew) (Vervain) / General
Verbena officinalis L. var. grandiflora ‘Bampton’ (Vervain 'Bampton') General
Verbena supina L. (Supine Vervain - GBIF) - [Glos. Fl.] General
Verbena bonariensis L. (Argentine Vervain) [its hard to imagine this is only a recent addition the British gardens considering its popularity. It escapes everywhere!] General
Verbena incompta P.W. Michael (Purpletop Vervain) General
Verbena rigida Spreng. (Slender Vervain) 1980 General
Verbena tenera Spreng. (Kew, EDIT) Glandularia tenera (Spreng.) Cabrera (GBIF) (Latin American Mock Vervain - GBIF) 1932 General

Species to add:

Catalpa bignonioides Walter (Indian Bean-tree) /
Utricularia australis (Bladderwort) - 1 record according to NBN, BSBI - recorded South of the region at Shapwick Moor by Mr. D. Fry (9th Sep, 1902) Brist. Fl. /
Utricularia intermedia (Intermediate Bladderwort) - Brist. Fl. White recorded it from Clapton Moor in 1894 but it was never confirmed. It could potentially have been U. stygia (Nordic Bladderwort) or U. ochroleuca (Pale Bladderwort) /
Utricularia minor (Lesser Bladderwort) - 1 record according to NBN and another just South of the region. In the past it was abundant in ditches on Clapton, Weston and Kenn Moor's Brist. Fl. /
Verbena supina L. (Supine Vervain - GBIF) - [Glos. Fl.] /
Verbena bonariensis L. (Argentine Vervain) [its hard to imagine this is only a recent addition the British gardens considering its popularity. It escapes everywhere!] /

Species added by me:

Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims (Black-eyed Susan Vine) /
Verbena officinalis L. var. grandiflora ‘Bampton’ (Vervain 'Bampton') /
Verbena incompta P.W. Michael (Purpletop Vervain) /