SUPER SUSSEX
THE PRIDE of Sussex
The round-headed rampion, otherwise known as the ‘Pride of Sussex’ is our county flower. Robert Veitch has never seen one but has learnt what to search for
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serrated edge. Flowers appear from n national terms, round-headed May to August in purple or deep blue rampion is our equivalent to shades. Each flower is an aggregation of the red rose of Lancashire, the primrose of Devon, honeysuckle many smaller tube-like florets. Round-headed rampion is found of Warwickshire and the bogbean of on chalky grassland, and its greatest Renfrewshire. density occurs on the South Downs, Round-headed rampion or making it an apt choice for the county Phyteuma Orbiculare to use the flower. correct botanical nomenclature is an In downland meadows that are left herbaceous perennial. It’s a plant that un-grazed it’s possible to see a purple dies back to the ground each autumn haze during the then grows afresh summer, though each spring. It’s part round-head rampion of the Phyteuma It’s possible to see a purple is not common, it is genus and from the in fact a ‘nationally Campanulaceae haze during the summer scarce’ plant. Like family that also the orchids that also contains campanula, populate the South lobelia, and some Downs, these plants are varieties of tobacco. to be cherished where Round-headed they grow and then rampion grows up left alone. to 50cm (20 inches) In 2002 in height, though Plantlife, the wildlife it can mature at a conservation charity smaller size. The decided to assign leaves are lanceolate each county an (narrow oval shapes), official flower. Before sometimes with a
20 SUSSEX LIVING | June 2021
then blue cornflower had been seen by some as the county flower of Sussex. The poll took place and round-headed rampion topped the vote to become ‘official’ and maybe it is a good choice as rampion is at home in Sussex, bearing in mind it grows so sparsely elsewhere in England. Harking back to the past, the Ringmer village sign on the junction of Lewes Road and Vicarage Way has been in situ since 1923. It’s home to a round-headed rampion, among shields, tortoises and illustrious local names from history. Mid Sussex District Council have had a round-headed rampion on their coat of arms since 1978. More recently, at the start of the 2010s planning began on what was then called the Southern Array, but is now called Rampion Wind Farm. Georgia Starr and Megan McCullough, pupils at Davison CE High School for Girls in Worthing suggested the name when a competition was held. The duo enjoyed a tour of the wind farm in 2018, when it opened. Rampion Wind Farm has 116 turbines, 140m (459 feet) in height, located 8-12 miles offshore between Worthing and Brighton and powers 350,000 homes. Boat tours of the site are available. The round-headed rampion may be the ‘Pride of Sussex’ but spare a thought for its sibling, the very rare spiked rampion, currently known to exist at only eight locations across the county. l
