A trip with my cousin Tim, 26th June 2023
Our first stop was Fan Nedd. We parked where the Cambrian Way crosses the road and followed the Wall West.
Checking for Hieracium breconicola I was initially excited to see 8 plants in flower. On closer inspection I realized that these were section Vulgata – keying to Hieracium anglorum with slightly discoloured styles, and spidery medium simple hairs on the peduncles
We found 3[4] Hieracium breconicola leaf rosettes, one of which with buds that was about 2 weeks away from flowering with numerous simple hairs
Below were 4 small Hieracium inspissatum with spotted leaves
We headed off to Nedd Glen – Along the crag at SN8303417257 we found plants section Stelligera with some rounded base leaves – one plant still having a recently closed flower. A Stelligera plant further along with very ‘aqua’ coloured leaves had a stronger toothed leaf but this may have been a different species and had no flower heads remaining.
This is a Stelligera with short <11mm bracts, no spots, hairy upper surface leaves and what looks like stellate hairs underneath the leaf. The plants were a little too late to key
At the same site there was a numerous plant maybe from section Oreadea with numerous simple hairs, and hairy attenuate based leaves and discoloured styles. This plant keys closely to Hieracium pusillifolium (bracts are larger) which has been extinct for almost 100 years. For the moment we are calling it Hieracium aff. deganwyense. A specimen is with Tim Rich and being compared to other specimens. After review this potentially new species is thought to be closer to H deganwyense as it shares the same bulbous based upper leaf hairs.
Off to Sgwd Ddu waterfall SN82951797 where there were about 80 Hieracium linguans – 2 plants on the North side of the falls. These had really long (finger like) ligule teeth
We had a look for Hieracium apheles at Penderyn but could only find by the pool - only Hieracium argillaceum
Looking further downstream on 9th July I found Hieracium apheles
and also an unfamiliar (broad leaved) rosette with emerging stem with lots of simple hairs on the bracts and peduncle
After a trek up and down Pen-y-fan where we could see Hieracium attenboroughianum in flower on Crybin - eres some shots from last year
We ended the day at SN97342038 near the Storey Arms looking at Hieracium cacuminum (also Hieracium argillaceum here) probably about 25 plants.
We paid our respects at our grandad's gravestone in Llanfaes, Brecon
At the Storey Arms in July there were a few Hieracium substrigosum down by the bridge all with very hairs bracts and small teeth to the narrow elliptical leaves
On the crags above SN9703520662 I found an old section Stelligera that was probably Hieracium siluriense but I will have to return another year to confirm
and here are some shots of Hieracium leyanum with their stylose flower along the road below
I found a strange plant along the Mellte SN9264111606 with too many simple hairs and too few stellate hairs to be argillaceum. Unfortunately all of the leaves had been eaten
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