Pale Swallow-wort

On this field, plants are covered in dewdrops and spider-webs. Some yellow plants are especially ceye-catching. They are Pale Swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria) in autumn attire.

 

 

They grow on limestone soil, mainly in meadows or open spaces in Downy Oak woods where the sun can get to them.

 

 

Here a place after logging. Now the trees are gone many plants took advantage of the light and there is no space left. Pale Swallow-wort looks a bit lost in all this green.

 

 

 

 

It has many small cream-colored flowers. The petals are thick. The opposite oval-shaped leaves are thin and supple. With some effort you can understand that Pale Swallow-wort is a cousin of Periwinkles, the shape of the flowers and the number of petals, and also the leaves look alike, even if Periwinkle has thin and supple petals and leathery leaves.

Pale Swallowwort has a reputation as an antidote against snake-bites. But, maybe you should avoid this remedy, you risk being empoisoned twice. Notwithstanding 'officinal' in its name, this is a really toxic plant.

 

But beautiful with those autumn leaves!

(The red berries that contrast so well with it are from another plant, also poisonous, Black Bryony.)

 

Least Pepperwort

During a large part of the year you can find Least Pepperwort (Lepidium virginicum) in bloom. It makes a lot of tiny white flowers and if for one reason or another a branch is cut, it just begins anew to make new branches and flowers.

 

Often you see flowers, fruits and remnants of fruits on the same plant. The fruits are little disks with an incision on top.

 

 

At the first stage of flowering there are still many leaves, rather long and with some dents; with time it looses the larger part of its leaves and concentrates on flowers and fruits. How can it manage with so little chlorophyll-driven production of energy? It does not have a stock in its roots, it is an annual plant without a big root-system. Maybe it does not rely too much on extra energy, it produces as many seeds as long as possible until it is spent.

 

Here a well-developed plant. It has the upright shape typical for Lepidium Pepperworts. You can find Least Pepperwort mainly in antropogenic places, like here on a little-used driveway.