Western ramping-fumitory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Western ramping-fumitory |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Fumaria
|
| Species: |
occidentalis
|
The Western Ramping-Fumitory, or Fumaria occidentalis, is a special type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Fumaria group. This plant is unique because it only grows in Cornwall, England. It is the largest kind of fumitory found in Britain. People first discovered this plant in 1904.
Contents
Where Does This Plant Grow?
The Western Ramping-Fumitory only grows in the warmest parts of Cornwall. You can find it in the western areas of mainland Cornwall. It also grows on the Isles of Scilly. This includes places from near Padstow all the way around Land's End towards The Lizard. On the Isles of Scilly, it mainly grows on St. Mary's. Long ago, it was also seen on St. Martin's.
What the Plant Looks Like
The Western Ramping-Fumitory is the biggest fumitory plant in the United Kingdom. Its flowers are about 12 to 14 millimeters long. When they first open, the petals are mostly white. They have dark pink tips. As the flowers get older, they turn pink. The sepals, which are like small leaves under the petals, are about 4 to 5.5 millimeters long and 2 to 3 millimeters wide. They have small teeth near their base. The fruit of this plant is also larger than other British fumitories. It can be up to 3 by 3 millimeters in size.
Life Cycle and Habitat
This plant is an annual plant. This means it completes its whole life cycle, from seed to flower to seed, in just one year. It flowers early on the Isles of Scilly, starting in March. On the mainland of Cornwall, it flowers a bit later, usually in May or June. You can often find many of these plants growing together. They like to grow in different types of farm fields and empty land. This includes the edges of fields and Cornish hedges.
How It Was Discovered
The Western Ramping-Fumitory was first officially described in 1904. A botanist named Herbert William Pugsley gave it its scientific name. In 1902, Pugsley saw some dried plant samples that he couldn't identify. He then found the living plant himself in 1904 while on holiday in Cornwall. Another botanist, Eliza Standerwick Gregory, also helped discover this plant. She reported finding it near a wood in Lelant. This information was written in a book called Flora of Cornwall in 1909. This plant is similar to other fumitory plants found in the Mediterranean region, like Fumaria agraria.
