Common Cudweed in North Lancashire

Common Cudweed in North Lancashire - 25th June 2014

With just one hour spare yesterday morning I decided to go in search of the rare "Common Cudweed" which I noted the other day whilst searching a old grown over sand and gravel pit in North Lancashire.  The County Recorder has requested further information on this rare species so that he can differentiate whether the ones I have recorded are Filago vulgaris or Filago minima, of which either are very rare in this area.

I was probably a little hasty in reporting that there was just one isolated plant, because on closer inspection I found numerous (scores in fact), along a stretch of some 40 yards by about 4 yard wide linear stretch. 

Just a few like the ones in the photo above actually reached 3" to 4" in height, certainly none have been higher to date.  But the majority will have been between about 1/2" and 3/4" with some oddities in so much that odd flowers are actually growing on top of another one has can be seen in some of my photos. 

I was also asked to count the "capitula" heads of the flowers and on average they numbered between 9 and 13.

It really is good to see such a large population.

If you want to check out all my Cudweed photos please click over this link. (photobucket photo hosting external site)

since writing the above it is now confirmed that the species are definately Filago vulgaris 1200hrs 26th June 2014.