Narrow-fruited Cornsalad - Valerianella dentata

Low to short hairless plant, lower leaves oval, generally broadest above the middle, wavy. Upper leaves oval to lanceolate, untoothed or slightly toothed. Bracts green with narrow, membranous margins, slightly toothed. Flowers pale pink or lilac, tiny in flat topped clusters. Fruit egg shaped, flat on one surface, the calyx well developed and about the width of the fruit itself, one tooth larger than the others.

other corn-salads

Ripe fruits are essential for identification; this plant cannot be verified from photos of the plant or flowers. 

Calyx present in fruit (unlike V locusta and dentata); and toothed, usually with 2 or more distinct teeth. Fruit has two distinct ribs on the abaxial face delimiting an oval flat area

Either obtain confirmation from a County Recorder before submitting a record, or submit detailed images showing key features.  We recommend that you take and retain a specimen; the County Recorder may wish to see this for confirmation. (RPR)

Arable land, usually on light soils.

Flowers June and July.

Annual.

Mainly restricted to England as far north as the Tyne and even here it is local and declining. It is quite rare elsewhere in Britain.

Scarce in Leicestershire and Rutland, but increasing. 

In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 3 of the 617 tetrads, and in 7 tetrads in the Flora of Rutland (Messenger 1971).

In the VC55 checklist (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Alien, archaeophyte, now scarce.

It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) as Locally Scarce (i.e. present in 4-10 sites)