Reseda lutea - Wild Mignonette

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Brassicales - Family: Resedaceae

Description

From from a basal rosette of wavy-edged lobed leaves, the branched flowering stems of Reseda lutea ascend to a height of 30 to 75 cm and bear spikes of small, greenish-yellow flowers, each with five petals. The leaves are cut into wavy edged lobes.

Habitat

Wild Mignonette favours well-drained soils, where it thrives in open sunlight. Although found on some roadside verges and wasteland, this plant is most conspicuous on railway embankments, coastal grassland and sand dunes; it is also a common sight in quarries, on limestone pavement grassland and on chalk downland.

Distribution

Wild Mignonette is widespread and fairly common throughout Britain and Ireland, but not in the far north or in Scotland. It is also found throughout northern and central European countries.

Blooming Times

In Britain and Ireland Wild Mignonette can be seen in flower from June through to September. The specimens shown above were photographed in Wales in July.

In southern France this wildflower can be seen as early as mid May, as seen below:

Similar species

This plant is often confused with Weld (Reseda luteola) and grows in the same places. Wild Mignonette, however, is a shorter plant with broader flower spikes which are paler than those of Weld.

The culivated species of Mignonette grown in gardens has a much stronger scent than Wild Mignonette.