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 often persists and self-seeds from planted sources.
Acanthus spinosus L. (Spiny Bear's-breach) - General Very Rare 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 plant was found 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 Widely planted in urban areas, mainly around Bristol.

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 localised in pristine ditches in the Gordano Valley.
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

[It would be nice to resolve this. Perhaps we could get the specimen DNA tested?]

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

VERBENACEAE - Vervain family

Verbena officinalis L. (var. officinalis) (Vervain) / General Frequent Locally common on dry ground along rutted tracks, railway sidings, brownfield sites and city docks.
Verbena officinalis L. var. grandiflora ‘Bampton’ (Vervain 'Bampton') General Very Rare A distinctive plant with purple foliage and pink flowers. Increasingly popular in gardens and sometimes escaping and becoming more or less naturalised on block paving, pavements and kerbsides. First discovered in Bristol in 2022 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 bonariensis L. (Argentine Vervain) General Uncommon A very popular plant in gardens and public planting schemes and 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.
Verbena incompta P.W. Michael (Purpletop Vervain) General Very Rare Was discovered for the first time at Castle Park in 2023 by D. Peters. 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 rigida Spreng. (Slender Vervain) 1980 General Very Rare
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) /