Another unusual botanic find….
A Summer picnic with friends at La Pulente lead to an interesting discovery in fading light. My initial thought was that I had found Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor), a plant with prolific pinnate leaves and drumsticks for flowers. My first encounter was on Herm where it grows in abundance but is scarce in the other Channel Islands, including here in Jersey.
The usual reference to Flora of Jersey by Frances Le Sueur was undertaken, which shows just 5 historic sites for two of the Sanguisorba species (S.minor and S.muricata) – see map.
The single plant has been recorded with the Jersey Biodiversity Centre and Botanical Society of the British Isles, but it remains a mystery as to from where it originated!
Alli Singleton
Botany Section
