New East Suffolk records of wild roses

39 NEW EAST SUFFOLK RECORDS OF WILD ROSES E. M. HYDE A new handbook from the Botanical Society of the British Isles always generates renewed interest. The long-awaited 'Roses of Great Britain and Ireland' appeared in 1993 and has already borne fruit in Suffolk. Graham Peck (GP) and Peter Lawson (PGL), studying the native wild roses of a few areas of East Suffolk (v.c. 25), have made several interesting discoveries. The Rev. A. L. Primavesi (ALP), one of the two authors of the handbook, kindly confirmed their identifications of several specimens sent to him. These are indicated in the summary below. We now have a good basis for further work on these very difficult, but very beautiful, plants.

Setting aside Rosa canina L „ Dog-rose and R. arvensis Huds., Field-rose, the two very common species, we have below a number of additions to the flora of the County. Nomenclature follows the handbook, but the order of the species has been altered slightly. Grid references are given, to enable readers to visit the sites. One good hedge can contain several species and hybrids.

The identification of hybrids can be difficult; crosses usually look more like seed (female) parent. Thus each hybrid can have two forms depending on the 'direction' of the cross; these are known as reciprocals.

Rosa canina L. x R. arvensis Huds., Dog-rose x Field-rose.

R. x verticillacantha Merat) (i) Blyford, mixed trackside hedge, TM425775, GP, 1994. Confirmed ALP, 20/9/1994. (ii) Sotherton, mixed-species field hedge, TM440795, GP, 4/9/1994. Conf.

ALP 20/9/1994.

First and second records for East Suffolk.

Rosa canina L. x R. stylosa Desv., Dog-rose x Columnar-styled Dog-rose.

(R. x andegavensis Bast.)

Saxtead, roadside hedge, TM251640, GP, 24/9/1994. Conf. ALP, 27/9/1994.

Second record for East Suffolk.

Correction: This record was published as R. stylosa Desv. in T.S.N.S. 25, p. 48 (1989).

Rosa canina L. x R. obtusifolia Desv., Dog-rose x Round-leaved Dog-rose.

(R. x dumetorum Thuill.) (i) Sotherton, frequent in mixed field hedges, TM439796, GP, 4/9/1994.

Conf. ALP, 6/9/1994. Second record for East Suffolk. (ii) Brampton, mixed-species roadside hedge, TM425824, PGL, 7/9/1994.

Conf. ALP, 20/9/1994 (obtusifolia female parent).

Rosa tomentosa Sm. x R. canina L., Dog-rose x Harsh Downy-rose. (/?. x scabriuscula Sm.) Brampton, mixed-species roadside hedge, TM425824, PGL, 7/9/1994. Conf.

ALP, 20/9/1994 (tomentosa female parent). First record for East Suffolk.

Recorded in the handbook for v.c. 26, West Suffolk.

Rosa micrantha Borrer ex Sm., Small-flowered Sweet-briar. (i) Theberton, numerous at edge of woodland, TM422653 and TM423651, GP and PGL, 17/8/1994. Conf. ALP, 20/9/1994. Confirms an earlier record.

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 31 (1995)

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 31

(ii) Blyford, trackside hedge, TM425775, GP, 1994. Conf. ALP, 20/9/1994.

An uncommon species in Suffolk.

Rosa rubiginosa L., Sweet-briar.

This species is fairly frequent in Suffolk and is much more easily identified than those already mentioned. It is included because the localities may interest readers who live nearby. (i) Westleton, forest ride, TM462696, GP, 1994. (ii) Wenhaston, Mill Heath, roadside, TM416763, G P and PGL, 21/8/1994. (iii) Walberswick, grassland, TM493743, GP, 1994.

Rosa pimpinellifolia L., Burnet Rose.

Westleton, behind roadside verge, TM458696, PGL, 29/8/1994. Known here for some years. Also, another Westleton site, on west side of unmade road, TM449697, M. B. Ellis and P. Ellis, 4/6/1994. Conf. PGL. A rare species in Suffolk. Easily recognisable by its purple-black hips.

Reference Graham, G. G. & Primavesi, A. L. (1993). Roses of Great Britain and London: Botanical Society of the British Isles.

Ireland.

E. M. Hyde, Parkside, Woolverstone, Ipswich, Suffolk 1P9 I AR

Abundance

of the Silver Y Moth

The abundance of the silver Y moth, Autographa gamma, was noted by 31 recorders of the Suffolk Garden Survey in 1994. Over 100 of these migratory moths were seen on Buddleia at St. Olaves near Yarmouth, compared with only one in 1993, and 122 were recorded in a garden moth trap at Gt. Whelnetham.

Other plants visited by the moth, as recorded in the 1994 survey, were Hemp Agrimony, Red Valerian, Hyssop and Sweet Pea. Richard Stewart (The silver Y is one of several migratory moths being recorded on a long-term basis at Broom's Barn Experimental Station, Higham, near Bury St. Edmunds.

A light trap is operated every night at this laboratory, and 1 ran it for about 20 years. Ed.)

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 31 (1995)