ESSEX   BOTANY   AND   MYCOLOGY  GROUPS

Sphaerocarpos michellii

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 Sphaerocarpos michellii Bellardi                               Micheli’s Balloonwort                                                            __________________________________________________________________________________

Essex Status: Native. Present 2014.

Light: 8.  Wetness: 6.  pH: 5-7.  Fertility: 5

Dioecious. Native or possible archaeophyte. This species is virtually confined to the east of a line from the Severn to the Humber. Although frequent in a variety of habitats in the Scilly Isles, it has not been found in mainland Cornwall or Devon and apart from a couple of hectads in Dorset has not been found along the south coast in Hampshire, Sussex or Kent. Being at its northern limit in Britain it is presumably limited by an isotherm or sunshine minimum, but it’s difficult to find a likely correlation from MET Office data. In terms of rainfall however the distribution fits quite well into the area of the U.K that only receives less than 700mm of rainfall per year.

Only a scattering of Essex records, all on sandy/loamy soils. In the case of the Shoebury Common seasonal car park, the ability to withstand lead and oil pollution must be considerable, as it has persisted there for at least a decade despite the site being full of cars in the summer months. A similar situation was found on the fairground site on Hampstead Heath in Middx. where it was found growing on black sandy soils churned up and polluted annually by fairground  vehicles. On the other hand, on a Colchester allotment, Pam Wilson found that plants only occurred on plots largely left undisturbed through the winter and that most of the plants occurred on a plot that did not use animal manure.