Lamium purpureum 圓齒野芝麻, 大苞野芝麻, 寶蓋象草

Common name: Red Dead-nettle
Scientific name: Lamium purpureum 圓齒野芝麻, 大苞野芝麻, 寶蓋象草
Genus: Lamium 野芝麻屬
Family: Lamiaceae or Labiatae 唇形科, mint or deadnettle or sage family

Remarks: The generic name Lamium is from the Greek lamia meaning ‘devouring monster’. This refers to the helmet shape (galeate 盔帽狀的) of the flower which has the appearance of open jaws. It is likely that this plant was introduced to Britain with early agriculture and evidence for it has been found in Bronze Age deposits.

Origin: Archaeophyte (established before 1500 AD). It has a European Southern-temperate distribution. 

Date:  27th March

An erect plant, can reach up to 45cm.

leaves stalked

viewed from the top

corolla of 2 unequal toothed lobes

bracts bluntly toothed, stalked, resembling the leaves

corolla tube straight, longer than calyx; calyx of 5 distinct equal teeth;
stamens 4, not protruding beyond corolla, outer pair of stamens longer than the inner

A ladybird found on the plant. 

Cerastium glomeratum 球序卷耳

Common name: Sticky Mouse-ear
Scientific name: Cerastium glomeratum 球序卷耳
Genus: Cerastium 卷耳屬 
Family: Caryophyllaceae 石竹科, pink or carnation family

Remarks:

Origin: native

Date:  25th March

A smaller but erect plant.

Need to look carefully to see if the bud-like structures are buds, closed flowers or fruits

photo in natural light

bracts and leaves

flowers clustered into compact heads

photo enlarged below to show the glandular sepals 

note some of the hairs (especially those on the lower part of the sepal) on the sepals are glandular 

green sepal with long white hairs extending beyond tip

petals about equaling sepals, split to less than half way;
 stamens 10; styles 5 (vs styles 3 in Stellaria 繁縷屬)

fruit on the left of the head

capsule

capsule; green sepals with long white hairs extending beyond tips

capsule on the top of the photo

The tip of the capsule split open a little bit to become capsule teeth.

split open capsule on the left of the head

The tip of the capsule split open a little bit to become 10 capsule teeth.

look from the tip of the split open capsule to see the orangish-brown seeds inside

seeds inside the split open capsule

Anemone nemorosa 櫟林銀蓮花, 櫟木銀蓮花, 叢林銀蓮花

Common name: Wood Anemone
Scientific name: Anemone nemorosa 櫟林銀蓮花, 櫟木銀蓮花, 叢林銀蓮花
Genus:  Anemone 銀蓮花屬
Family: Ranunculaceae 毛茛科, buttercup family

Origin: native

Date:  25th March & (22nd April)

3 stem leaves, stalked, divided into 3 lobes

6-7 white sepals

89 (22nd April)

Ficaria verna 榕葉毛茛, 榕毛茛

Common name: Lesser Celandine
Scientific name: Ficaria verna 榕葉毛茛, 榕毛茛
Genus:  Ficaria 
Family: Ranunculaceae 毛茛科, buttercup family

Remarks:  There are two subspecies. Ssp. verna has bulbils developing in leaf axils after flowering whereas ssp. fertilis has no bulbils. Ssp. verna produces fewer ripe fruits, giving a mis-shapen head of fruit whereas ssp. fertilis produces a "full head" of fruit.

The Ficaria verna name comes from the Latin diminutive for figs. It was called lesser celandine because its resemblance to the greater celandine (Chelidonium majus 白屈菜). (Note the greater celandine and lesser celandine are belonged to different families.) Verna is a reference to its habit of growing and flowering early in the spring rather than during the rest of the summer and fall.

Origin: native

Date:  18th & 25th March

(above: 25th March)

different stages of flower bud (photo above and below)

The outer whorl contains 3 sepals and the inner whorl contains 7-12 petals (8 in this photo). 

There are 3 sepals in Ficaria (this species) whereas there are 5 sepals in Ranunculus 毛茛屬
(above: 25th March)

Petals fell already, only the pistils left. Maybe it is fruiting.