Botany visit to Pen-y-Ghent 1 April 2025
An intrepid group of five botanists met at Horton-in-Ribblesdale to head up the slopes of Pen-y-Ghent to see the Purple Saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia growing on the cliffs two-thirds of the way up the hill. This is a creeping, mat-forming perennial plant with densely-set, tiny, oval leaves in opposite pairs along the stem. The flowers are rosy purple, 10 mm or more across, almost unstalked and five petalled. These plants in Britain live on basic mountain rocks and screes, often on lime, but can live at sea level in Scotland. The best time to see them in the Yorkshire Dales is late March/early April and with all the sun we have had in March 2025, some of the flowers were just beginning to fade. We were lucky to see lots of flowers across the cliffs and also on boulders around the base of the cliffs. We were fascinated to see plants growing out of what appeared to be solid rock.
Purple Saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia growing on cliffs of Pen-y-Ghent
Purple Saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia
Close to where we saw the Purple Saxifrage, we were able to look in between boulders and found Wood Sorrel Oxalis acetosella (not in flower), Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes and Green Spleenwort Asplenium viride. Returning to the cars, we also saw Blue Moor Grass Sesleria caerulea in flower, a Dales speciality.
While we didn’t see lots of varieties of plant this early in the year, the visit to the Purple Saxifrage is always worthwhile – it’s a sign that Spring has arrived and we are in for a great summer of botanising!
Jane Welsh
