Bupleurum tenuissimum is generally uncommon but can be locally abundant, though still hard to spot as it is low growing, partially obscured by grasses. It grows along the upper edge of saltmarshes, often on the rim of low mud banks.
Common name:
Slender hare's-ear
Family:
Scientific name:
Bupleurum tenuissimum
Main flower color:
Range:
Scattered coastal regions of England and Wales; most common around the Bristol Channel, the Humber Estuary and East Anglia
Height:
Up to 50 cm
Habitat:
Drier regions of saltmarshes, and adjacent coastal grassland
Flowers:
Around 4 mm across; greenish-yellow, with five petals, often curved inwards; in clusters at the leaf nodes. Subtended by sharp-pointed bracts. On stout, wiry, faintly ridged stems, sometimes twisted
Fruit:
Dark-coloured globules, 2 mm long
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate, up to 5 cm long, pointed at the tip
Season:
July to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
