The Flora of Castlewarden

Latin:  Tussilago farfara Irish:   Sponc   Coltsfoot flowers can appear as early as February and are one of the earliest spring flowers that one sees at Castlewarden but they are often mistaken for small dandelions.  It is a native perennial that grows abundantly on roadsides, on gravely banks and in damp fields.  The flowers, on scaly, purplish stems, are yellow, solitary and relatively small (25-40mm across) and appear before the leaves.   As the seed matures they are surrounded by a white, feathery pappus just like

Latin:  Taraxacum officinale Irish:  Caisearbhán   The yellow flowers, the lobed leaves, the hollow flower stems that exude latex (milky substance), and the downy seeds of Dandelion are very familiar to most people.  It is a native species that is, generally, not regarded as very attractive but Dandelions are special in several ways. Their biology is very complex; for example, in Co. Dublin alone over 70 sub-species have been recorded and these can set seed without pollination and they never, therefore, interbreed.  Dandelions are also special in

Latin:  Viola riviniana Irish:  Sailchuach chon   Dog Violet, a native perennial, is the most common species of Violet in Ireland.  The garden Pansy, a close relative, is a hybrid involving a number of Violet species though usually not V. riviniana.  It is a small plant whose leaves, that are broadly oval or heart-shaped, grow in a rosette close to the ground. The flowers are violet and appear in March or April.  They have 5 somewhat unequal petals – the lowest of which is elongated to

Latin:   Bellis perennis Irish:    Nóinín   This most familiar wild flower is encountered in virtually all parts of the course.  Although one of the favourite flowers for picking by children and the raw material for “daisy chains” it can also be a troublesome weed for greenkeepers and gardeners.   It comes from the Compositae family which is characterised by “composite” flowers.  What looks like a single daisy flower is, in fact, numerous small flowers massed together in a compact head.   The flower-heads close at

Latin:  Primula vulgaris Irish:  Sabhaircín This familiar native is a frequent resident on shady banks and in hedges and damp woods sends out its yellow flowers as early as April. “Primula”, the Latin name of the species translates as “first flower” and neatly describes Primrose often taken as the harbinger of the new season.  Its leaves which tend to grow in a rosette are downy and whitish below and taper gently towards the base.  The flowers are solitary, 25-35mm across.   Picked when first opened,

Latin: Ranunculus ficaria Irish:   Grán arcáin   This native species resembles its close relative the Buttercup.  It is from the same genus (Ranunculus) and is often mistaken for Buttercup but it is a different, and distinct, species.  It has a number of features that allows it to be distinguished from buttercup, especially the shape and structure of its leaves and flowers. The leaves of Buttercup are deeply divided into distinct lobes while those of Lesser Celandine are heart-shaped or round and they are not

Cow Parsley         Anthriscus sylvestris                                                 Peirsil bhó This native species is an erect perennial that often grows to more than 1.5m in height.  Cow Parsley grows in sunny to semi-shaded locations in meadows and at the edges of roadways, hedgerows and woodland. It is particularly fast-growing and seems to suddenly appear as a mass of white flowered plants on roadsides in early-May and June. The stem is hollow, hairy and grooved and the leaves are finely divided (tripinnate), 15-30cm long and triangular in outline.  It can

Latin: Alliaria petiolata Irish: Bóchoinneal A native species that flowers during May to June. Although it sometimes behaves as an annual, it usually grows as an erect biennial (flowering in second year) reaching a height of up to 1m. Its favoured habitat is in damp hedgerows and meadows on non-acidic soils. It is from the same family (Cruciferae) as mustard, cabbage, turnip and oilseed rape and, as the family name implies, the four petals of its smallish white flowers give a cruciform shape. The foliage has

Latin:  Achillea millefolium Irish:  Athair thalún This perennial native typically occurs in pastures and on roadsides and waste places. At Castlewarden, it can be found in the undisturbed areas of the practice ground and there is one plant surviving, though not flowering, on the mound to the right of the 18th green. It is highly aromatic and has attractive, finely-divided leaves that have a feathery appearance. In late June and July it produces masses of small creamy white flowers in flat-topped clusters.     Yarrow has