KEEL-FRUITED CORNSALAD
LAMB'S LETTUCE
Valerianella carinata
Valerian [Valerianaceae] 
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Valerian [Valerianaceae]
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flower
flower
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morph
petals
type
stem
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| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
| Less than a foot high, when mature it is an open plant arising from a single stem which birfurcates a few times. Flowers in clusters atop each stem. Few leaves, in opposite pairs, just below the birfucations. |
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| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
| Leaves mid-green, long and oblong, with well rounded terminations. |
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| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flowers are exceptionally tiny, being just 1-2mm across. |
_2011_04_20_Southport_Ainsdale_Freshfields_098p5.jpg)
| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers are clustered in small umbels on the periphery of a cup of bracts of un-equal length. Leaves have a prominent mid-rib. Stems square to angular, with very short fine hairs. |
_2011_04_20_Southport_Ainsdale_Freshfields_104p2.jpg)
| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Leaves in pairs just below every bifurcation in the stems. |
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| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
| From above, the cluster of flowers is surrounded by several leaves/bracts of various lengths, appearing asymmetric. |
_2011_04_20_Southport_Ainsdale_Freshfields_085p7.jpg)
| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers have five petals of slightly un-even length, the longest preferring to be on the outside of the umbel and which may be arranged in a circle. Thus, although not a true Umbellifer(Apiaceae), the flowers do have some similarities. The leaves/bracts have short hairs on the edge. |
_2011_04_28_BridgewaterCanal_100p075.jpg)
| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
| The tiny flowers are off-white, tinged lilac or azure to blue. The lilac tinges of the white flowers have the appearance of one of those colour optical illusions based on after-images, neural adaption and opposite colours. |
_2011_04_20_Southport_Ainsdale_Freshfields_083p5.jpg)
| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| An umbel of flowers, with several flowers in each green-bracted cup, and several cups within a few larger leaves/bracts. |
_2011_04_20_Southport_Ainsdale_Freshfields_100p8.jpg)
| 20th April 2011, Southport, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The cups containing several flowers each are held above longer bracts/leaves. |
_2011_04_28_BridgewaterCanal_099p03.jpg)
| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
Un-like Common Cornsaladwhich has rounded lower stems, Keel Fruited Cornsalad has lower stems that are square. Note the ridges with short hairs on each edge. |
_2011_04_28_BridgewaterCanal_106p2.jpg)
| 28th April 2011, nr. Throstle Nest Br, Bridgewater Canal. | Photo: © RWD |
| Basal leaves but two in number, followed quickly by an opposite pair of stem leaves. |
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Some similarities to :
No relation to : Inhabits bare or sparsely grassy earth, rocks, walls and sand dunes, where the above photographs were taken. The flowers are extremely small, less than 2mm across, and appear white but with either blue, azure or lilac patches. It belongs to the Valerian Family, but is not in the same Genus as either Red Valerian nor that of Common Valerian, which are both in differring Genera. ANY TEXT GOES HERE |
 Valerianella (Cornsalads) |
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Valerian [Valerianaceae]
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