Sherardia arvensis at Mount Ainslie

Field Madder at Mount Ainslie

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Identification history

Sherardia arvensis	9 Nov 2019	BettyDonWood
Sherardia arvensis	8 Nov 2019	MichaelMulvaney
Galium sp.	6 Oct 2019	JaneR

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Author's notes

Growing in shelter of sedge tussocks beside former farm dam. Flower colour almost pale lavender, otherwise could be G. aparine

5 comments

BettyDonWood wrote:

7 Oct 2019

With pale mauve flowers, that suggests Sherardia arvensis. However, that species has flowers in groups of 4-10 surrounded by 8-10 leaf-like bracts, so that does not fit either.

JaneR wrote:

7 Oct 2019

Hi Betty, FloraVic gives whorls of 4-6 (leaves) for S. arvensis, and doesn't appear to commit to number bracts or number of flowers: however its illustrations show 1 to 3 flowers in group. PlantNet is as you describe. My photos show a congestion of bracts underneath the flowers, rather hard to count: are the 8-10 meant to be in one whorl ? Superficially, the specimen on Ainslie NR is very similar to images of Sherardia arvensis in Flora Vic.

JaneR wrote:

7 Oct 2019

CNMap has a previous record of S. arvensis from Ainslie NR

BettyDonWood wrote:

8 Oct 2019

I was quoting from Vicflora. https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/fe85ee56-8bb2-4714-b42a-bdf077ee9744
I presume you were quoting from the paper version. Hence the difference.
If you have a collecting permit, could you press it and take it to the botanic gardens for a proper ID. I for one do not recognise it at all.

BettyDonWood wrote:

9 Nov 2019

I found a whorl of 6leaves lower down on one of the stems.

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