Plants
| Click on the plants and flowers below to read more about them. | |
| Water Loving Plants | |
| Submergent Plants | |
| Free Floating Plants | |
| Plants and Flowers That Grow on the Banks of the Grand Canal | |
| Bramble | |
| Primrose | |
| Common Butterworth | |
| Round Leafed Sundew | |
There are four main types of aquatic plants (water plants)
1. Submergent Plants
These are plants that live under the water in the canal. An example
of this type of plant is the Spiked Watermilfoil. This submergent plant has
feathery leaves which grow in groups of four on its stems. It has thin reddish
flowery spikes which appear above the surface of the canal. The name comes
from the Latin and French for "a thousand leaves". The lower flowers
are female and the upper are male. This plant flowers in June and July.
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2.Emergent Plants
These are plants which grow out of the canal water. Their roots are
under water in the canal bed mud and their leaves and flowers grow above the
water. An example of this type of plant is the Common Bulrush. The Victorian
painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema painted "Moses in the Bulrushes"
which show the cradle of Moses in a clump of Reed Mace. Because the painting
became famous, these plants became known as Bulrushes. This became the common
name for the plant. It is a robust plant with tall upright stems and narrow,
straight sided upright leaves that rise above the top of the flower. The female
flower head is brown and sausage shaped; the male flower head is feathery
and rises from the top of the female flower head.
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3. Free Floating Plants
These plants float freely in the canal water and are not rooted to the canal bed. An example of this type of plant is the Duckweed. It looks more like an alga and forms a floating carpet on the surface of the canal water. It has rounded leaves with two to five solitary or connected stems and a single root stem.
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4. Floating Leafed Plants
These plants roots are in the canal bed and their stems grow to the
surface of the water where leaves and flowers grow floating on the surface
of the canal water. An example of this type of plant is the Water Lily. This
is a floating plant whose stems can grow up to three metres with twenty to
twenty five white or yellow petals arranged in spirals as flowers. Yellow
Water Lilies have been nicknamed "brandy bottles" as they give off
a small of stale alcohol and their seeds look like old fashioned spirit bottles.
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1. Bramble
The Bramble is an understory plant (grows along the ground under trees)
of the woodland habitat along the canal bank. It has low arching spiny stems
which root out of the tip to form hoops which can trip the unwary walker up.
There are 2000 varieties of bramble and the fruit (blackberry) can be used
to make jam, jelly, yoghurt or pies. Superstition says that you are not supposed
to eat the berries after the 29th September because the Devil is supposed
to have spit on them. The flesh fly lays her eggs on the bramble then so there
is wisdom in the old saying.
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2.Cowslip
As with primroses, there are two kinds of flowers, one with the stigma in
the flower centre, with the anthers further down the tube formed by petals.
The other has a ring of anthers in the flower centre, with the stigma further
down the tube. According to legend St. Peter dropped the keys of heaven and
the first cowslips sprang from the spot.
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3.Primroses
The name "Primula" comes from two Latin words meaning "first
rose". Primroses herald the coming of the spring. The species named Vulgaris
means "common" but in fact these flowers are being widely picked
along canal banks and are becoming rarer. Primroses produce two kinds of flower.
Pollen from one sort of flower is transferred to another so that sticky seeds
can be produced.
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4. Yarrow
The Yarrow has feathery foliage and flat clusters of daisylike flower heads. The leaves of the Yarrow were used to relieve toothache and as a kind of snuff.
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5. Common
Butterwort
The Common Butterwort is a carnivorous (meat/insect eating) plant.
This plant has pretty voilet flowers and sticky leaves which insects stick
to. The leaves roll up and down and a sticky digestive enzyme is released
which dissolves the insect releasing vitamins and nutrients to the plant.
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6. Butterburr
The Butterburr has large rhubarb like leaves which were once used to wrap
butter in. The leaves can grow to almost 90cm and have a dense felting of
hairs underneath. The genus name Petasites comes from the Greek "petusos"
meaning "a broad rimmed hat". The plant has medicinal properties.
In the Middle Ages the plants roots were powdered and used to remove spots
and blemishes.
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7. Round
Leafed Sundew
This is another carnivorous plant. It has red hairs on its leaves which secrete
a droplet of stick liquid (glue). These hair can move and attract passing
insects which stick to its leaves. These hairs and the leaf margins curl inwards
to enclose the insect. People observing the plant thought it could retain
its dew in full sunlight hence the name Sundew.
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8. Bell Heather
This plant grows in sandy soil in wet areas along the canal. It has tightly
rolled leaves which have a special skin (cuticle) to keep moisture in. because
Bell heather is such a pretty plant and grows well in poor soils it has also
been used by gardeners.
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For more information on plants go to the Plant Life website.
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