Runcorn Meeting of Liverpool Botanical Society
Led by Rob Duffy, 26th April 2014 
Species List

12 LBS members set out in mainly fine and bright weather from Runcorn East Station straight into Plantation Wood, working south to Murdishaw Woods and then heading west and north through the Town Park, up through Saint Berteline’s Wood to the canal and to Norton Priory.  We returned to the station via Big Wood and Windmill Hill.
	
Bluebells were at their peak flowering and were the stars of the day, especially the broad swathes of blue woodland floor in Murdishaw Wood.  No DAFOR abundance is given in this list as the various woodlands were quite different to each other, in some Bluebell dominated the groundflora, in others it was quite rare.  A range of other native woodland species was seen as well as many self-seeded exotics and well-established plantings from both the days of the Brooke family and the New Town Development Corporation.  The abundance of Norway maple regeneration was particularly notable in some areas of woodland.  Rob led us to some of the notable specimens of planted exotics including a small stand of Dawn Redwood, a lone Chilean Pine (Monkey-puzzle), a huge old (but collapsing) Silver Maple and a grove of tall straight Balsam Poplars scenting the air.

The table below lists the native and naturalised species, excluding the exotic species plnated during the days of Runcorn’s development as a New Town, but including some old established plantings from the former Brooke family estate, centred on Norton Priory.

Acer campestre	Field Maple	
Acer platanoides	Norway Maple	
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore	
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	
Aegopodium podagraria	Ground-elder	
Aesculus hippocastanum	Horse-chestnut	
Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent	
Alliaria petiolata	Garlic Mustard	
Allium ursinum	Ramsons	
Alnus glutinosa	Alder	
Alopecurus pratensis	Meadow Foxtail	
Amelanchier lamarckii	Juneberry	
Anemone nemorosa	Wood Anemone	
Anisanthera sterilis	Sterile Brome	
Anthoxanthum odoratum	Sweet Vernal-grass	
Anthriscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	
Arabadopsis thaliana	Thale Cress	
Arctium minus	Lesser Burdock	
Arum maculatum	Lords-and-Ladies	
Asplenium ruta-muraria	Wall-rue	
Asplenium scolopendrium	Hart's-tongue	
Athyrium filix-femina	Lady-fern	
Bellis perennis	Daisy	
Betula pendula	Silver Birch	
Capsella bursa-pastoris	Shepherd's-purse	
Cardamine flexuosa	Wavy Bitter-cress	
Cardamine pratensis	Cuckooflower	
Carex flacca	Glaucous Sedge	
Carex pendula	Pendulous Sedge	
Carex remota	Remote Sedge	
Carex sylvatica	Wood Sedge	
Cerastium fontanum	Common Mouse-ear	
Cerastium glomeratum	Sticky Mouse-ear	
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay Willowherb	
Circaea lutetiana	Enchanter's Nightshade	
Cirsium arvense	Creeping Thistle	
Cirsium vulgare	Spear Thistle	
Conopodium majus	Pignut	
Corylus avellana	Hazel	
Cotoneaster sp.	Cotoneaster species	
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	
Dactylis glomerata	Cock's-foot	
Deschampsia cespitosa	Tufted Hair-grass	
Deschampsia flexuosa	Wavy Hair-grass	
Digitalis purpurea	Foxglove	
Dryopteris dilatata	Broad Buckler-fern	
Dryopteris filix-mas	Male-fern	
Epilobium hirsutum	Great Willowherb	
Epilobium montanum	Broad-leaved Willowherb	
Equisetum arvense	Field Horsetail	
Erophila verna	Common Whitlowgrass	
Euphorbia peplus	Petty Spurge	
Fagus sylvatica	Beech	
Festuca rubra	Red Fescue	
Ficaria verna	Lesser Celandine	
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	
Fumaria officinalis	Common Fumitory	
Galium odoratum	Sweet Woodruff	
Geranium dissectum	Cut-leaved Cranesbill	
Geranium robertianum	Herb-Robert	
Geum urbanum	Wood Avens	
Glyceria maxima	Reed Sweet-grass	
Hedera helix	Ivy	
Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed	
Hieracium sp.	Hawkweed species	
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire-fog	
Hyacinthoides non-scripta	Bluebell	
Hypericum androsaemum	Tutsan	
Ilex aquifolium	Holly	
Ilex x altaclarensis	Highclere Holly	
Juncus effusus	Soft Rush	
Lamium hybridum	Cut-leaved Dead-nettle	
Lamium purpureum	Red Deadnettle	
Lapsana communis	Nipplewort	
Lepidium didymum	Lesser Swine-cress	
Ligustrum ovalifolium	Garden Privet	
Lolium perenne	Ryegrass	
Lonicera periclymenum	Honeysuckle	
Lonicera pileata	Box-leaved Honeysuckle	
Lycopus europaeus	Gypsywort	
Meconopsis cambrica	Welsh Poppy	
Medicago lupulina	Black Medick	
Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	
Milium effusum	Wood Millet	
Oxalis acetosella	Wood Sorrel	
Parietaria judaica	Pellitory-of-the-Wall	
Pentaglottis sempervirens	Green Alkanet	
Phalaris arundinacea	Reed Canary-grass	
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain	
Poa trivialis	Rough Meadow-grass	
Polystichum setiferum	Soft Shield-fern	
Populus hybrid	Hybrid Poplar	
Populus nigra italica	Lombardy Poplar	
Populus x canescens	Grey Poplar	
Prunella vulgaris	Selfheal	
Prunus avium	Wild Cherry	
Prunus padus	Bird Cherry	
Prunus spinosa	Blackthorn	
Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken	
Quercus robur	English Oak	
Ranunculus acris	Meadow Buttercup	
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup	
Rhododendron ponticum	Rhododendron	
Rubus fruticosus agg.	Bramble	
Rubus idaeus	Raspberry	
Rumex obtusifolius	Broad-leaved Dock	
Rumex sanguineus	Wood Dock	
Sagina procumbens	Procumbent Pearlwort	
Salix alba	White Willow	
Salix caprea	Goat Willow	
Salix cinerea	Grey Willow	
Salix fragilis	Crack Willow	
Salix viminalis	Osier	
Sambucus nigra	Elder	
Schedonorus giganteus	Giant Fescue	
Scrophularia nodosa	Common Figwort	
Senecio jacobaea	Ragwort	
Silene dioica	Red Campion	
Sonchus asper	Prickly Sow-thistle	
Sonchus oleraceus	Smooth Sow-thistle	
Sorbus aucuparia	Mountain Ash	
Sorbus intermedia	Swedish Whitebeam	
Stachys sylvatica	Hedge Woundwort	
Stellaria holostea	Greater Stitchwort	
Stellaria media	Chickweed	
Taraxacum sp.	Dandelion species	
Taxus baccata	Yew	
Tilia x europaea	Common Lime	
Trifolium repens	White Clover	
Ulex europaeus	Gorse	
Ulmus glabra	Wych Elm	
Ulmus sp.	Elm species	
Urtica dioica	Nettle	
Valerianella locusta	Corn-salad	
Veronica filiformis	Slender speedwell	
Veronica hederifolia hederifolia	Ivy-leaved Speedwell	
Veronica montana	Wood Speedwell	
Veronica persica	Persian speedwell	
Veronica serpyllifolia	Thyme-leaved Speedwell	
Vicia sepium	Bush Vetch	
Viola riviniana	Wood-dog-violet