Sell and Murrell

1

The last volume (volume 1) of Sell and Murrell’s Critical Flora is scheduled for publication next January. There was a copy for sale at an outrageous price - presumably an advanced reading copy.

2

Wow, I am glad I don’t feel the need to have this collection
http://www.nhbs.com/series/flora-of-great-britain-and-ireland but please keep your handy as I am posting more and more non-marine plants.

3

I put off buying it for years…but having taken the plunge, it IS very good, with extremely detailed species accounts. If you don’t mind acquiring it a bit at a time, you can often pick up second hand copies and damaged stock online.

4

I picked up volumes 3-5 when there was a dip in prices for some reason; I got the three volumes for about £150 for the three. Unfortunately that sets the precedent for buying the other volumes.

5

I just glanced at Amazon UK. There are now Kindle Editions of volumes 3-5 at eyewatering prices. (And people trying to sell physical copies of volume 3 at £600 or £700 - even though it is much cheaper elsewhere.)

6

Volume 1 is now being advertised for February or March 2018. Cheapest price I see is Summerfield Books at £105, where you can preorder.

7

I have in on my birthday list :slight_smile:

8

Now shipping. (I order a copy a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve just had a email saying that it’s been shipped.)

9

i shall look forward to it!

10

I had a glance at the new books pages this morning. There’s a Flowers of the Breckland, should you be interested and not already have a copy.

11

Thanks, yes that’s my friend mike’s latest project- looks q good from the proofs I’ve seen, but intended as something accessible for purchase by visitors to the breck to help is obvious plants and specialities rather than a critical id guide. Prob won’t buy it- bookshelf space at a premium these days!

12

The Post Office failed to deliver Sell & Murrell yesterday (I suspect they turned up just before I got back from the supermarket), so I collected it from the depot this morning.

Points of interest

  1. Dryopteris affinis agg. is split into several more than the 3 species in Stace.
  2. 58 species of the Ranunculus auricomus agg., most of severely limited distribution, but with slightly more widely distributed species from the Weald, and the North Downs.
  3. A many species classification of Polygonum, as trailed.
  4. Several new species of Limonium.
  5. Over 50 species of Ulmus, rather than 2.
  6. Two more native birch species (Betula odorata and Betula celtiberica)
  7. Lots more _Chenopodium_s.
  8. Didn’t recognise Salix atrocinerea, which rather surprised me given the general splitter tendency.
  9. Splits Persicaria, Rumex and Fallopia, but not Chenopodium.
  10. Splits Persicaria lapathifolia. I think that the species I see is Persicaria pallida.
13

Just what we needed. More Dryopteris affinis to pore over… Sigh…

14

I have compared them with Stace in detail yet, but I suspect that they’ve promoted all the morphs to species rank.

I’ve decided there’'s 4 types of Male Fern in the old railway cutting not too far way, but I don’t know what they all are - there’s plenty Dryopteris filix-mas, and two small groups of very scaly, big, wintergreen plants, which I take to Dryopteris affinis, and a colony of a 3rd, which I suspect to be Dryopteris borreri. The 4th might be one of the hybrids. (Also present are Dryopteris dilatata, Polystichum setiferum, Polystichum aculeatum, Polypodium vulgare agg. (if not lost to council operations), Athyrium filix-femina, Pteridium aquilinum and Asplenium scolopendrium.

Update: On further reading there’s a recently described species, the Alpine Male Fern, Dryopteris lacunosa, mostly from the Alps, but with records from elsewhere in Europe including Britain. Dryopteris pseudodisjuncta, recorded from Scotland, is omitted.

Some of the scaly ferns (but not all) and Phegopteris connectilis, are described as apomictic complexes. What I’ve found is that Phegopteris connectilis had diploid and triploid cytotypes, but I’ve so far failed to find any documentation of a complex.

Mildly to my surprise they haven’t split Asplenium trichomanes. (Personally I record them as Asplenium trichomanes agg., as I reckon there’s 3 species present in Britain even if I can’t tell them apart - what I see may be all Asplenium trichomanes subsp. quadrivalens.)

15

What about letting us see them and the difficulties, in an observation? And perhaps a PROJECT about Stace & Sell & Murrell, the IN’s and OUTS and a distillation of useful bits. Is it time for a iSpot PLANT’S BLOG collaboration, you two?