FODDER BURNET

Poterium sanguisorba ssp. balearicum

(Formerly: Sanguisorba Minor ssp muricata)
Rose Family [Rosaceae]  

month8May month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8bicolour
 
flower
flower8green
 
inner
inner8red
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZclustered
 
stem
stem8square
 
stem
stem8ribbed
ribbed

9th June 2009, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Mature leaves become longer and more deeply toothed. Flower heads in profusion.


15th May 2008, Warton Crag, Lancs Photo: © RWD
An un-opened flowerhead consists of a number of green, turning reddish, compartments in the shape of an oblate spheroid about 2cm long at the top of a red stem which appears either square or ridged. The red 'tentacles' bear some resemblance to the white ones of Mind-Your-Own-Business.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
 The compartments consist of four oppositely-paired sepals, which start to split open. Within the upper compartments numerous paired clusters of red styles emerge, and in the lower half the pale yellow anthers get ready to burst out.


9th June 2009, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
The four green sepals splay backwards like petals.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
  The female part of the flowerhead consist of two tiny sea-anemone-like structures (or feather dusters) with red styles popping out of each of the upper compartments of the flowerhead. Thus male and female organs are in entirely separate compartments.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
On the same plant smaller spherical flowerheads seem to contain white styles in the upper half of the flower head.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
 Whilst the lower compartments contain numerous very long, thin and dangling stamens with cream coloured anthers and pollen on the ends.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
All stems, flower and leaf, are red.


19th May 2011, Blackleach Country Park, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Leaflets take on a neat appearance. Note the step-ladder-rung configuration which may be an apaptation to try to maximise the light falling on the leaves during different parts of the day. If the teeth were much deeper, then the leaf would be doubly-pinnate. Stem appears square.


Photo: © RWD
Light veins when viewed by transmitted light. With sharper teeth than those of Salad Burnet. They seem to have Hydathodes at each tip to rid themselves of excess water.


Easily confused with : Salad Burnet which is a less substantial sub-species of Fodder Burnet and has smaller leaves that, although still toothed, have rounded teeth (but so does Fodder Burnet when young and innocent).

Distinguishing Feature : The flowers of both Fodder Burnet and Salad Burnet are tiny, green and mostly closed-up and clustered together like small globules on the end of the stalk. When ripe, a cluster of conspicuous red styles emerges from the closed flower cup, and a similar cluster of longer yellow anthers droops downwards like a yellow fuzzy beard. But the better way to distinguish it from the similar Salad Burnet is to compare the fruits (which at the moment your Author does not have photos of).

No relation to : Burnet Rose, Burnet-Saxifrage or Greater Burnet-Saxifrage [plants with similar names]

Fodder Burnet is a much more robust and leafier sub-species of Salad Burnet and was introduced to Britain for cultivation as a feedstock plant. It is now frequently found in wild flower seed mixtures.


  Poterium sanguisorba ssp. balearicum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Rosaceae  

Distribution
family8rose family8rosaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8sanguisorba
Sanguisorba
(Burnets)

FODDER BURNET

Poterium sanguisorba ssp. balearicum

(Formerly: Sanguisorba Minor ssp muricata)
Rose Family [Rosaceae]  

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