With a name derived from the French dent de lion, after their jagged-toothed foliage, the taxonomy of Taraxacum officinale (agg) is far from simple. Although easily identified as a genus, there are at least 250 recorded species, each with minute differentiations that can confound the most dedicated taraxacologist. This vast population divides into nine groups, including dandelions with spotty leaves (Naevosa), which tend to grow in the North; small ones, such as the ruddy dandelion in the Erythrosperma group, with deeply dissected leaves and tiny flowerheads; and Hamata, with their hook-shaped leaf lobes, which mostly grow on waste ground. Some, such as Bertha’s dandelion, are so rare that they have been red-listed. Most will grow anywhere, but their absolute favourite place is a road verge next to roaring traffic—this accounts for at least 30 species.
Culpeper said if it was consumed in spring, we might “see plainly without... spectacles”
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin May 05, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin May 05, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Why we love (and hate) the A303
Sometimes, it is the journey we remember, rather than the destination. Julie Harding travels the long, winding-and sometimes frustrating road to the West Country, taking in the sights along the way
A valley of delightful beauty
In the first of two articles, David Robinson considers the medieval abbey at Hartland, beginning with its nebulous origins as an ancient religious site associated with the cult of St Nectan
Put some graphite in your pencil
Once used for daubing sheep, graphite went on to become as valuable as gold and wrote Keswick's place in history. Harry Pearson inhales that freshly sharpened-pencil smell
Dulce et decorum est
Michael Sandle is the Wilfred Owen of art, with his deeply felt sense of the futility of violence. John McEwen traces the career of this extraordinary artist ahead of his 88th birthday
Heaven is a place on earth
For the women of the Bloomsbury group, their country gardens were places of refuge, reflection and inspiration, as well as a means of keeping loved ones close by, discovers Deborah Nicholls-Lee
It's the plants, stupid
I WON my first prize for gardening when I was nine years old at prep school. My grandmother was delighted-it was she who had sent me the seeds of godetia, eschscholtzia and Virginia stock that secured my victory.
Pretty as a picture
The proliferation of honey-coloured stone cottages is part of what makes the Cotswolds so beguiling. Here, we pick some of our favourites currently on the market
How golden was my valley
These four magnificent Cotswold properties enjoy splendid views of hill and dale
The fire within
An occasionally deadly dinner-party addition, this perennial plant would become the first condiment produced by Heinz
Sweet chamomile, good times never seemed so good
Its dainty white flowers add sunshine to the garden and countryside; it will withstand drought and create a sweet-scented lawn that never needs mowing. What's not to love about chamomile