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Alopecurus aequalis:

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 Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.                            BACK          MAP              Orange Foxtail           __________________________________________________________________________________

Essex Status: Native. 

An annual to short lived perennial, that only occurs in the southern half of Britain, and is largely absent from Wales and south-west England. It is found on the mud exposed by the gradual seasonal drying up of the shallows around ponds, lakes, reservoirs and in gravel workings, and is particularly abundant in hot dry years.

Its British distribution coincides with an area having a July mean temperature in excess of 16oC and an annual rainfall of less than 750mm, a combination which probably ensures that the ponds dry up in summer. In wet years it lies dormant as submerged seed, and may appear to be absent at a given site for several years, only to reappear in abundance when the waters recede. The hot dry summers of the 1990's resulted in an increase in abundance and it also appeared to be colonising fresh sites. Care must be taken not to confuse it with the far commoner Alopecurus geniculatus. Both have an almost identical spike of flowers, that matures from the top down, the anthers of the lower spikelets, often being pale yellow. In A. aequalis the other anthers are bright orange before dehiscence, whereas in A. geniculatus they are pale purple/grey-violet. In both species the orange or purple/grey-violet anthers are dull orange/brown when dehisced, whereas, again in both species, the pale yellow anthers appear pearly white when empty. Probably the best single character on which to clinch an identification is the length of the awn on the lemma, which in A. aequalis is only ever shortly (to 0.5mm) emergent from the spikelet, whereas the awn of A. geniculatus is always at least 2x the length of the spikelet (see Figure below).

 

Post 1930 records:

  TL(52)30

38,06  

19

  Nazeing Mead, post 1950. Alan Silverside. date?

 

 

 

 

  TQ(51)39

39 ,89

18

  Epping Forest, bog near the Rising Sun (pub.) Walthamstow. 1902. R.W.Robbins. (LNHS Herbarium).

 

     

 

 

TQ(51)48

414,871

18

Wanstead Park, edge of Heronry Pond, plentiful, 25 May 1960. K.J.Adams.

 

41 ,87

18

Wanstead Park, Heronry Pond, 1983. Paul Ferris.

 

400,872&                  411,872&   413,872& 414,871&    415,871

18  18  18  18  18

ditto. Abundant along joints in concrete floor lining of the almost dried up pond, in full flower with Rumex palustris,                                            25 July  1992. Kenneth  J Adams & Paul Ferris.  ditto 30 May 1997. Vivian Sieber.

 

413,872&         414-5,871

18

Heronry Pond, in broad swathe, rather stunted, all along the southern margin of the dried up pond and in lines along cracks in the concrete     nearer the centre, also in a swathe along the  eastern margin growing with Rorippa palustris. None along  northern margin or  around the island. June 1997. K.J.Adams.  

   

18

ditto. abundant, July 1999. K.J.Adams.

 

416,871

18

Wanstead Park, Perch Pond, 1983. Paul Ferris.

  4754,8844 18 Chadwell Heath, dried up seasonal pond in Millenium Green Park, still in flower, 20 September.2015. K.J.Adams & Enid Barrie.
 

416,870

18

ditto. Small patch southern edge of pond, 25 July 1992. Paul Ferris & K.J.Adams.

TQ(51)49

42 ,98

18

Goldings Hill Upper Pond, Loughton. 1900. C S Nicholson. (LNHS herbarium).

 

428,981

18

Goldings Hill Upper Pond, Epping Forest, small patch near island causeway, not seen since, 1971. K.J.Adams.

 

428,979

18

Goldings Hill Lower Pond, patch c.1m on western margin, 28 July 1996.K.J.Adams.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ditto. Flowering much earlier, 31 May 1997. K.J.Adams.

       

TL(52)40

41 ,06

19

Nazeing, village pond, date? recorder? (Jermyn, 1974).

 

425,050

19

Epping Long Green, in pond on south side of the Green, 6 July 1984.K.J.Adams.                                                                                                                                             ditto. plentiful, 1995. Amanda Samuels.

 

444,044

19

Epping Upland, in muddy area with Ranunculus sceleratus, second field south of  Epping Upland church. July 1998. Annette Ford.

 

46 ,02

19

Epping town, artificial pond in Council Offices car park. 19 September. 1991.  Jeremy Dagley.

TL(52)43

???

19

nr Brent Pelham. 1931. H. Phillips.

 

453,326

19

Clavering, pond. 1998. Shirley & Charles Watson.

TQ(51)57

571,793

18

Averley, recently cleared pond by Mar Dyke. 29 September 1998. Tim Pyner.

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)58

55 ,86

18

Upminster, date? recorder? (Jermyn, 1974).

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)59

51 ,92

18

Bedfords Park Lake, date? Stanley T.Jermyn.

 

515,963

18

Curtismill Green, in pond, Lodge Farm, 1982. John L Fielding.

 

52 ,90

18

Romford Golf Course, pond on, date ? Stanley T Jermyn.

 

529,951

18

Wattons Green, Navestock Common, small pond (part of Curtismill Green SSSI), date? recorder?

 

535,973

18

Navestock Heath, 15 June 1957. J.F. & Peter C Hall, and E.B.Bangerter

 

555,929

18

Dagnam Park, shallow damp winter wet hollow, in southern end of Fir Wood with Glyceria notata and G.fluitans,  in deep shade. (awns checked with microscope) 17 June 2010. K J Adans et EFC.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)50

512,018

18

Toot Hill, c.1967. Steven T Licence.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)51

52 ,14

19

Hatfield Heath, 10 July 1965. Arthur Adams.

 

522,148

19

Hatfield Heath, dried up pond on south side of Sheering road, a sheet of orange.July 1971. K.J.Adams.                

   

19

Hatfield Heath, in two ponds, abundant, June 1997. Shirley & Charles Watson.

 

522,148

19

Hatfield Heath, along western margin and in the centre of the dried up roadside pond to the south of the Sheering road 18 July 1997. K.J.Adams.

 

520,149

19

Hatfield Heath, plentiful, southern end of dried up pond on the western margin of the Heath. 18 July 1997. K.J.Adams.

 

540,117

19

Potash Road, small pond on east side about half way from Matching Green to Peartree Green, June 1997. Shirley & Charles Watson.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)52

504,240

19

Stansted Marsh, 1984. Shirley & Charles Watson.

 

524,244

19

Stanstead, Hall, pond to the east, still in fl. 19 September 1997. Shirley & Charles Watson

 

543,211

19

Hatfield Forest, pond in Street Coppice. 1984. Shirley & Charles Watson.

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)69

646,938

18

Brentwood, pond west of James's Wood. June 1991. Richard Carter.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)60

636,002

18

Fryerning church pond, abundant by recently dredged pond, 1991; abundant 1992;  a few in 1993; none in 1994. Graham Smith.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)61

632,183

19

Barnston, edge of small roadside pond, 7 July 1954. K.J.Adams.

 

632,180

19

Barnston, pond in Garnetts Wood, 1964. John Ironside-Wood.

 

641,178

19

High Easter, pond in marsh, September 1965. John Ironside-Wood.                 

 

653,182

19

Barnston, pond on Hounslow Green, date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

699,133

19

Great Waltham, roadside pond, June 1963. John Ironside-Wood.      

 

????

19

Pond near Good Easter. date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)62

624,229

19

Great Dunmow, pond opposite the Cricketers Pub. 14 May 1998. Jeremy Ison et EFC.  

 

622,232

19

Great Dumnow, roadside pond, 14 May 1998. Jeremy Ison et EFC.

  62251,23244 19 Great Dunmow, Parsonage Downs, single clump eastern margin of pond. 19 June 2011. K J Adams.
 

601,266

19

Tilty, pond near the Abbey, 1981. Shirley & Charles Watson.

 

68,23

19

Stebbing Green, 9 June 1996. Jeremy Ison.

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)79

????

18

South Hanningfield, date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)70

703,099

19

Broomfield, roadside pond by the Parsonage, 1973, Anthony D.Boniface.

 

767,086

18

Little Baddow, shallow water course in drained former sedge bed by the Chelmer, 1994 & 1995. Stanley Hudgell.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)71

700,133

19

Great Waltham, same pond as TL61, straddles grid line, June 1963. John Ironside-Wood.

 

???

19

Broomfield, recorder?, date? (Jermyn, 1974). 1973 recorder  1605.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)72

720,248

19

Rayne, nr. Old Hall, marshy ground by artificial pond beside Pod's Brook, 29 May 1960. K.J.Adams.

 

752,212

19

Black Notley, abundant in pond, nr Hayeswood Farm, 18 June 1988. Jeremy Ison.

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)88

???

18

Leigh/Hadleigh marshes, date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)82

89 ,24

19

Little Tey, pond by farm, 9 July 1985. CNHS record.

 

857,255

19

Coggeshall, Witch Wood, in smaller of 2 ponds. 12 June 1995, still there 1997. Ursula Broughton & Brian Wright.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)83

86 ,32

19

Pebmarsh, Garlands farm pond, 1989. G.A.Vivian.

 

86 ,36

19

Twinstead Hall moat, date? Stanley T.Jermyn. (not there in 1973 STJ and KJA).

 

89 ,30

19

Wakes Colne Green, plentiful in village pond, date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)98

90 ,85

18

Thorpe Bay, pond on golf course, date? recorder? (Jermyn,1974).

 

914,874

18

Great Wakering, Parks Nursery behind Rose Inn, damp clinker and gravel, 1978 & 6 August 1991. Tim Pyner.

 

954,899

18

Potton Island, 1987. S.C.Puddy.

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)99

???

18

Wallasea Island, date? recorder? (Jermyn, 1974).

 

90 ,93

18

Canewdon, Ballards Gore, gravel pit, date? Stanley T Jermyn.

 

903,929

18

Canewdon, Ballards Gore, flooded gravel pit, (now a golf course), 1980. Tim Pyner.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)90

974,017

18

Asheldham, gravel pit nature reserve, damp mud in flooded pit, 1 July 1984 and 2003. Tim Pyner.

 

 

 

 

TL(52)91

902,180

19

Messing-cum-Inworth, plentiful in pond in northern part of Pod’s Wood. 23 July 1997. Anne Guiver & Terri Tarpey.

 

 

 

 

TM(62)11

113,168   

19

St. Osyth, nr. Flag Creek, in ditch behind seawall, abundant, 30 October 1954. K.J.Adams.

 

 

 

 

TM(62)12  

162,226

19

Thorpe le Soken, small pond on Far Thorpe Green, some at pond edge, also plentiful on  damp ground to west of pond. 10 June 1997.             CNHS.

 

 

 

 

TM(62)21

21 ,17

19

Holland Brook, near the Haven. date? Stanley T.Jermyn.

 

Pre 1930 records:

TQ(51)38 or 39     

 

18

nr. Walthamstow, post 1875, J.T.Powell,(Essex Naturalist 6. p.8.).

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)48         

 

18

Wanstead, near, J.T.Syme (Gibson,1862).

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)49         

 

18

Lambourne, Parsonage Lane, Edward Forster (Gibson, 1862).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)40         

 

19

Epping, Henry Doubleday (Gibson,1862).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)53

c.56 ,36

19

Wimbish, Thunderley Wood, sparingly, Gibson (Gibson, 1862). (wood mostly grubbed out now).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)53 or 54     

 

19

Walden, Joshua Clarke (Gibson, 1862).                     

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)67         

 

18

Tilbury, somewhere on the alluvial plain between Tilbury Fort and West Tilbury, 24 May 1919. Miss Eleanor Willmott et al.                                                             Essex Field Club meeting. (Essex Naturalist 19. p.119). 

 

 

 

 

         

 

18

Widford, banks of Chelmer, Arthur Willis (Gibson, 1862).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)71         

 

19

Great Leighs, swampy places, Arthur Willis (Gibson, 1862).

 

 

 

 

TQ(51)89

83 ,90

18

New England, Christopher Parsons (Gibson, 1862). (N.B. grid ref. assumes nr Southend not Birdbrook).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)81         

 

19

Kelvedon, Dr.Ezekiel G. Varenne (Gibson, 1862).                

 

 

 

 

TL(52)83+        

 

19

Halstead, rare, Thomas Bentall (Gibson, 1862).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)82+        

 

19

Earls Colne, Thomas Bentall (Gibson, 1862).

 

 

 

 

TL(52)92        

 

19

Copford, W.L.P.Garnons (Gibson, 1862).