This walking guide has been created by horticulturalist

Walking to Discover
Brier Rose
Pamela Smith, inspired by the plants and history of the
Rosa rubiginosa
streets of Brierley Hill. This guidebook helps you to see
where you live in a di!erent way, you don’t have to travel Horse Chestnut
far to discover plants that date back almost as far as the Aesculus hippocastanum
coal seams, or magical plants that are thought to help with
love, happiness and cure all ailments. It’s about the
Ash
botanical garden on your doorstep; all you have to do is Fraxinus excelsior
take that first step... Bear’s Breeches
Acanthus mollis
Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
Walking to Discover

BRIERLEY HILL
Rosemary
Rosemary o!cinale

BRIERLEY HILL Pear

Pyrus
English Yew
Taxus baccata
Irish Yew
Taxus baccata ‘fastigiata’
Holly
Open air Laboratories (OPAL) Ilex aquifolium
Common Ivy
OPAL West Midlands is based at the University of Hedera helix
Birmingham (School of Geography, Earth and
Environmental Science and School of Bioscience). Hawthorn
Opal works in association with a wide range of regional Crataegus monogyna
partners, including the Birmingham and Black Country Japanese Knotweed
Wildlife Trust. Our towns and cities are home to a wide
Fallopia japonica
variety of plants and animals just waiting to be discovered.
We want to get everyone interested in the natural world
Pamela Smith

that surrounds where you live, work, or go to school.

Ferns
This will not only ensure a brighter future for wildlife but
should help you feel good about your local space and
Bramble
environment. Our emphasis is on 'your' local patch!
Pamela Smith Rubus fruticosus
Route One:
Circular Walk

Route Two:
Linear Walk
Walking to Discover
BRIERLEY HILL
Pamela Smith

Published by OPAL, 2010

Copyright: Pamela Smith

Publication Design: Catharine Clarke
Photography: Pamela and Bethan Smith

Printed by Regency Press, Birmingham

on 100% recycled stock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means without the prior permission
in writing of the publisher.

The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project is an

exciting initiative that is open to anyone with
an interest in nature. It aims to inspire people to
explore, study, enjoy and protect their local environment.
The project is funded by the Big Lottery fund, in
partnership with the Natural History Museum. In the West Midlands
the project is coordinated by the University of Birmingham. Everyone
can take part, there are lots of activities and events. You can even help
collect scientific data which will feed back into national studies on our
wildlife and habitats.

www.opalexplorenature.org
WALKING
to Discover

This voyage of discovery

takes you through the
familiar streets of Brierley
Hill revealing plants and their
stories as you go. This is a
story of 30 plants, one for
each foot of the thirty
foot seam which defines
the Black Country and
ends with a tree which takes
us back through time, linking
us with the deeper seams of
history.

PLANT
Names

The botanical names of

plants, sometimes referred to
as the Latin names, are used
by scientists and gardeners.
This is to avoid confusion as
plants’ common names di!er
in each country and even
across regions. Translating
their name often reveals a
plant description or story.
During this walk you will
discover some of the
meanings behind the names
of plants along the way.
3
THE
Walk

Route One: Circular Walk

takes you to Delph Road
and the bottom of 9 locks
and back up again.
There are two routes to
choose from, both starting
Route Two: Linear Walk
at Marsh Park, each taking
takes you down hill
about an hour at an easy
ending at Merry Hill and
pace. What you will see
enticing you on to
will change through the
Saltwell’s Nature Reserve.
seasons so well worth
repeating regularly.

HOW TO USE
this Guide

The walk starts at

Marsh Park and links to
the library, High
Street, Delph locks
and Merry Hill so you
can pick up the route
anywhere along the
way, perhaps helping
you to look at your
usual routes around
town with fresh eyes.

4
THE BLACK COUNTRY
30ft Seam

Traditionally the Black Round Oak SteelWorks

Country is defined as the
area in which the 30ft coal
seam comes to the surface.
The coal together with seams
of iron, clay and limestone
supported the development
of the Industrial Revolution,
leading to the area being
described by Elihu Burritt,
the American Consul to
Birmingham in 1862 as ‘black
by day and red by night’. From images collected by BHRP

Later parts of the Black

Country were among the first
to be the focus of land
reclamation turning the black
to green. The Earl of Dudley
planted trees to reclaim the
limestone quarries at Wren’s
Nest, now a Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) and
a National Nature Reserve.
The Midlands Reaforesting
Association was founded by
public subscription in 1903
and re!established woodland
on industrial spoil. Many of
these trees now form part of
the Black Country Urban
Forest.
5
BRIERLEY
Hill
Brierley Hill is 162m Above
Sea Level (the same height
as Beachy Head) The highest
point in the West Midlands is
Turner’s Hill in Sandwell at
271m Above Sea Level. It is
also a place of roses.
The name Brierley Hill
derives from the Anglo!Saxon
words, Brier – referring to the
Brier Rose, Rosa rubiginosa
and Leah or ley meaning a
woodland clearing.
The area of Brierley Hill
was heavily wooded until
medieval times when most
of the woodland was
cleared.It was later replanted
for the charcoal industry, the
main fuel prior to mining coal.
6
Brier Rose
Rosa rubiginosa
The rose, usually spelt Briar,
is native to the UK, the rest
of Europe and Western Asia.
The word Briar is an old
Anglo!Saxon word meaning
a thorny shrub. Rose thorns
face backwards as they
are designed not just for
protection against grazing
animals but also to help the
plant scramble and climb.
The briar rose has clusters of
five petalled pink flowers
followed by long rose hips
in the autumn. The leaves,
when crushed, smell of
apples.
ROSE
Folklore
Many cultures have stories
and beliefs associated with
roses.
Did you know?
The rose has been used as
a sign of silence in addition
to secrecy. When people
wanted to keep a meeting
conversation secret or
‘within these four walls’
it was often described as
subrosa which actually
translates as under the rose.
When secret societies and
gatherings met in medieval
times, a rose was hung from
the ceiling indicating a
demand for discretion,
today we still use the term
ceiling rose.
The Catholic rosary is said
to have been originally
comprised of beads made
from dried rose petals.
Rose hips, the seed bearing
fruit of the rose, are high
in vitamin C and are used
to make cordials and the
familiar Rose Hip syrup. Rose
petals are used to make
perfumes, and rose water.
A syrup of rose petals is used
to create the distinctive
flavour of Turkish Delight.
If this is making you feel
hungry unfortunately the pie
manufacturers, Marsh and
Baxter’s are no longer here in
Brierley Hill. The company
was started in 1867 at a small
pork butcher's shop in the
High Street but grew into the
largest sausage and pie
factory in the country! As the
area’s green land and the
coppices began to disappear
Marsh and Baxter's gave
Marsh's Park to the town, our
starting point for the walk.
7
ROUTE ONE
Circular Walk

Marsh Park

Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum

As you enter Marsh Park the

Horse Chestnut makes an
impressive entrance tree.
However, this well known
tree is not a Bristish native,
it was introduced to Britain
from southern Europe in the
16th Century.

It is thought the name is

derived from its use as a
horse medicine (although the
conkers are poisonous to
people) or from the fact that
the leaves leave horseshoe
shaped scars on the twigs.
Extracts from the tree are
used in shampoo and as a
starch substitute.
 Ash
Fraxinus excelsior

Wander along the

herbaceous border to your
left. At the end is a forked
tree, an Ash. Characterised
by black buds and leaves
made up of a number of
leaflets. In early summer the
tree is full of hanging groups
of seeds, known as keys.

The Ash has many folklore

associations and has a
special place in folk medicine,
in particular childhood
illnesses such as whooping
cough. An ill child was passed
through a forked Ash tree
three times. Young Ash trees
were often split in half and
nailed closed after the child
has been passed through,
presuming as the tree heals
so does the child. Nailing a
patient’s hair to an Ash tree
was also thought to o!er
some relief and woodmen
frequently reported finding
nails buried deep in the
Ash trunk.
 Bear’s Breeches
Acanthus mollis

The acanthus leaf is

thought to have been
the inspiration for the
design of the Corinthian
column capitals found in
Greco!Roman architecture.

Following the steep path

down to the gate is a glossy,
It is said that a Greek
large leaved herbaceous
architect and sculptor,
plant, Bear’s Breeches. The
Callimachus was inspired
tall, papery, spiny flowers are
by the sight of a basket
purple and white. This plant
that had been left on the
was first introduced to
grave of a young girl. A few
England from southern
of her toys were in it and
Europe in 1548. It prefers
a square tile had been
sunny dry conditions and
placed over the basket,
can be very invasive once
to protect them from the
established. It was used to
weather. An acanthus
help heal broken bones and
plant had grown through
dislocated joints. One early
the woven basket, mixing
medicine book states that the
its spiny, deeply cut leaves
crushed and boiled leaves
with the weave of the
‘applied like a poultice are
basket, curling over as
excellent good to unite
they reached the tile.
broken bones and strengthen
joints that have been put out’.
10
 Poppy
Papaver rhoeas

The route to St Michael’s

passes the war memorial
where poppy wreaths are laid
every November. The poppy
is associated with war as
the seeds need light to
germinate, land disturbed by
bombing gave the seeds
stored in the soil the
conditions they needed to
grow. In front of the church's
graveyard is the town's
war memorial. The soldier
on top is modelled on Stan
Harley who joined the 1st
Battalion the Worcestershire
Regiment in 1914 when he
was only fifteen years old.
He won the DCM in France
and returned to Round Oak
Works in 1919, now the site of
Merry Hill shopping centre.

11
ST.MICHAEL’S
Churchyard

St. Michael’s church is

the oldest building in the
town, consecrated in
1765. The Churchyard is
full of plants, both growing
and carved. Many plants
we know well from our
gardens today originate
from all over the World,
most were brought to this Pear
country by plant hunters Pyrus
seeking out the latest
plant to sell for gardens, The newly planted avenue
food or medicine. of pear trees compliments
the old pear tree to the east
side of the church.
Rosemary
Rosemary o!cinale English Yew
Taxus baccata
This Mediterranean shrub,
familiar in many gardens and Irish Yew
as a cooking herb has many
Taxus baccata ‘fastigiata’
associations with love and
loss. The name rosemary is
thought to refer to its
maritime habitat and is said
to mean rose or dew of
the sea.

Rosemary is a traditional
symbol of friendship and
love and brides once wore
a rosemary wreath to
symbolise their love and
loyalty.
12
A tree long associated with
churchyards is the Yew. Here
at St Michael’s you will find
both the English Yew and
Irish Yew.
 Holly Common Ivy
Ilex aquifolium Hedera helix

This is one of Britain’s few

native evergreen trees.
Plants that looked healthy
and green over the dark
Winter months, often
accompanied by flowers and
fruit must have seemed
magical hundred of years
ago. As a result lots of
folklore stories are associated
with evergreen plants around
Christmas time. The first
person to bring a sprig of
holly into the house on
Christmas Eve will rule the
house for the following year.
Other versions say that if the
first holly sprig has oval, Another British evergreen
spineless leaves, the women plant, climbs up walls and
will rule, if prickly leaves, the trees using its aerial roots
men! Many superstitions which lock into crevices. In
associate the holly with men Greek history a headpiece of
and it is thought to be a good ivy was said to promote
luck symbol for men, whilst inspirational thinking and
ivy is for women. Either way, was popularly used as a
it is unlucky to bring holly into poet’s crown. Bacchus, the
the house before Christmas Roman god of wine and
Eve and every piece must be intoxication wore a Crown of
removed and burnt on Ivy which is said to
Twelfth Night. prevent drunkeness!

13

More plants can be
discovered by looking at
the memorials around
the churchyard.
Leaving the Church by the
South Bell Street gate
walk down, crossing the
High Street over to Hill
Street. At the junction with
Hill Street a Hawthorn tree
stands alone in the grass
verge on the right.
14
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
Hawthorn flowers in May,
and is often called the May
Tree with many associations
with May Day festivities.
Before the calendar changed
in 1752 the tree flowered at
the beginning of May, today
it is usually around the middle
of the month. In Britain
there was the belief that
bringing hawthorn blossom
into the house would be
followed by illness and
death. Medieval country
folk also asserted that the
smell of hawthorn blossom
was just like the smell of the
Great Plague in London.
Botanists later discovered the
chemical trimethylamine
present in Hawthorn blossom
is also one of the first
chemicals formed in decaying
animal tissue. The leaves and
flowers were eaten and were
commonly referred to as
bread and cheese. The
blossom and berries were
made into wines and jellies,
and decoctions of the flowers
and leaves were used to
stabilise blood pressure.

Japanese Knotweed
Fallopia japonica
Turn o! Hill Street as it bends
to the right taking the steps
and footpath down the hill.
Just as you get to the bottom
of the slope the tall stems of
Japanese Knotweed fill the
ground to your left. This
weed originally started as a
garden plant introduced to
Britain in Victorian times.
The plant has attractive red
stems, heart shaped leaves
and masses of small white
flowers. The young spring
stems can be eaten like
asparagus. However, its
ability to adapt to all sorts of
growing conditions has
resulted in it being classed as
an unwanted invasive plant
driving out less able plants
which provide food for many
of our native insects.
DELPH
Locks
Walk along Deph Road
Standing at the bottom of
Delph Locks, this was one
of the first places that
people started to settle in
the area and originally was
known as Black Delph; the
name signifies coal working.
Delph is a medieval word –
meaning to dig.The 9 locks
are actually 8! Dudley Council
explains this dilemma on its
website ‘Mining of the Thick
Coal seam caused massive
subsidence and in 1856 these
locks had to be replaced.
The old top and bottom locks
were kept but the remainder
were superseded by six new
locks hence the eight locks in
existence today’.
Delph Road has been
described as the 'real ales
riviera' of Dudley due to
the number and variety of
the pubs along its length!
15
The Gardener’s
Arms QUIZ
Why not try this garden
themed pub quiz?

Bar Snack Botany

1. If you were picking peanuts what would you take with
you?

a) A ladder
b) A spade
c) A dog

2. When you eat a packet of crisps what part of the potato

plant are you eating?

a) The root
b) The stem
c) The leaves

Tall tales from the bar

3. How many pints of water can a mature
oak tree take up on a summer’s day?

a) 40
b) 100
c) 400
d) 1,000 pints

16
4. How long would it take a hop plant to grow around a
cane?

a) 8 hours
b) 24 hours
c) 48 hours

5. Cork is the bark of which tree?

a) Giant redwood
b) Oak
c) Holly
d) Mulberry

The morning after

6. What plant is aspirin derived from?

a) Rose
b) Hazel nut
c) Willow
d) Oak

7. Watering a hydrangea plant with Alka Seltzer will turn the

flowers what colour?

a) Red
b) Blue
c) White

Answers on Page 32
Good Luck!

17
 If you feel like a break
and a snack why not
continue along Delph
Road for a while and visit
some of the many pubs.
Return back to Delph Locks
to continue our walk.
Walk up hill along the locks
passing the old stable block
once used for boat horses
and nearby, alongside the
old canal, the former lock
keeper's cottage. Plants
along the way include:
Ferns
The seeds (known as spores)
of ferns are too small
to see and as a result the
fern was thought to spread
by magical properties. This
led to stories about fern
spores having the power
to make people invisible.
Shakespeare mentions fern
spores in Henry IV.
‘W! h"#! $%! &e'()p* + ,(-. /0e1 –
2! w345 )67i89:;!’
18
Bramble
Rubus fruticosus
In folklore the bramble was
considered a holy plant and it
was said that sitting under a
bramble bush would cure
rheumatism and passing a
child through a blackberry
arch would rid them of
rickets. Di!erent parts of the
plant were used to make
di!erent coloured dyes, but
today it is the fruit that we
prize – for wine and jam
making.
Roses & Castles
You may be lucky to spot
Canal flower art on passing
boats. Traditionally described
as Roses and Castles, canal
art often features castles and
stately homes and a range of
plant, including roses.

ELDERFLOWER
CORDIAL
The cordial can be diluted
to taste with water or
tonic water. Makes
approximately one litre
of cordial or five litres
once it has been diluted
20 elderflower heads
(flowers removed from the
stalks using a fork)
juice of two lemons
2 tsp of citric acid or cream
of tartar
1.5kg sugar (golden
granulated gives the juice
a golden colour)
1.2 litres boiling water
Place all the ingredients in
a bowl, pour on boiled
water, stir to dissolve
most of the sugar. The
remaining sugar will
dissolve over the next few
days. Place in a cool, dark
place and cover with
a cloth, stirring twice a
day for five to seven days.
Strain through a fine sieve
or cloth and decant into
sterile bottles. Can be
kept for two weeks in a
fridge. Can also be frozen.
Elder
Sambucus nigra
A deciduous shrub often
found in hedgerows and
rough ground. The leaves
have an unpleasant smell
and the bark is rough,
younger stems are covered
in raised spots. In late May
and through June white, flat,
flower heads are made up of
hundreds of smaller flowers.
In the autumn these are
followed by dark purple!black
berries. The common name
Elder derives from the Anglo
Saxon aeld meaning fire as
the pith and hollowed out
stems were used to start
fires. The hollowed stems
were also used to make flutes
and the strong smelling
leaves used to ward o"
insects from doorways.
At the top of the locks
you can either return back
up Mill Street to the High
Street OR:Continue under
Mill Street, along the canal
towpath to Merryhill
Shopping Centre, along
Route Two: The Linear
Walk. Please turn to Page
23 to join this walk.
19
 Walk to the top of Mill
Street where seasonal
plants brighten the
corner with the High
Street at The Garden
Shop. To the right you can
go to the library, perhaps
to pick up a wildlife or
plant book to help you
with your next walk.
LOOKING
Up

Further plant themed

carvings can be found if you
look up to the second floor of
some of the shops. You will
also see ferns fooled into
thinking they are growing on
a cli! face!

21
Continue along the High
Street passing Common
Lime and London Plane
street trees.

Common Lime London Plane

Tilia x europaea Platanus x hispanica

It was first recorded in

London in 1663, but actually
originates from Southern
Europe.

A vigourous tree, commonly Often planted as a street tree

used in avenues and streets as it is tolerant to frequent
although the masses of pruning and its constantly
growth from the base needs shedding bark allows it to
regular pruning. Twigs survive urban pollution.
characteristically zig zag
between buds. The tree’s ‘T!" #e$% v&ya'" (
leaves are particularly )isc&*+,- c&n.ist/
favoured by aphids who 01 20 34+2n5 6+7
excrete a the sticky ‘dew’. l8ndsc89e/ :u; 20
Although it shares a name, 34+2n5 <i=> 6+7
this tree has no links with the +?e/.’
lime fruit. Marcel Proust 1871!1922
22
ROUTE TWO
Linear Walk
Silver Birch
Betula pendula
Continue under Mill Street.
The canal path takes you past
Silver Birch, their white
trunks standing out against
other planting. These trees
are native to Britain, many
types have been bred to
improve on the bright,
smooth and peeling bark.
Birch trees are known as
colonisers, as they are some
of the first types of tree to
grow in new areas of land. As
a result they are associated in
folklore with rebirth and
renewal. The Trees for Life
organisation reports that the
word Birch is thought to
come from the old language
Sanskrit. The Sanskrit word
Bhurga means ’tree whose
bark you can write on’.
Bracken
Pteridium aquilinum
Bracken is a British fern
commonly found in wood!
land and heathland and can
reach over 1.5m (5ft) in
height. It is a very invasive
plant, even a small piece
of the fleshy root can
grow to form a new plant.
Although the young shoots
are eaten in Japan and parts
of North America it is not
recommended as it is
contains carcinogens.
It’s Latin name derives
from Pteris meaning
feather like, referring to
the shape of the fern
leaves and Aquiline
meaning eagle!shaped. If
the stem is cut at an angle
the plant cells within the
stem are said to make the
shape of a spread eagle.
The ashes of burnt bracken
have a high potash content
and were used in glassmaking
and also mixed with lanolin to
make soap.
23
 Alder
Alnus incana
On the right hand side, as
Merry Hill comes into view
the British native tree Alder,
lines the fenceline. In the
Winter the small cones are
visible through the branches.
Alders grow well in wet areas.
In Ireland it is considered
unlucky to walk under an
Alder tree. The trees flowers
can be used to make a green
dye and it is thought that
placing Alder leaves in your
shoes cool the feet on long
journeys.
24
Coltsfoot
Tussilago farfara
Coltsfoot derives its common
name from the shape of the
leaves, said to resemble a
colt’s foot. Other names
include Coughwort (think of
Colt’sfoot Cough Medicine)
and Son before Father
referring to the fact that the
yellow, star shaped flowers
appear and dissapear before
the leaves emerge.
MERRY
Hill
Leave the canal towpath and
walk down along the avenue
towards Merry Hill Shopping
Centre. The landscape
planting here includes
English and Irish Yew.
A simple way to tell the
di!erence is to look at the
leaves. English Yew leaves are
arranged in a ladder like way,
darker green above, lighter
green below. Irish Yew leaves
grow out of the stem in a
more random fashion, o!en
spiralling around the stem.
 Pampas Grass
Cortaderia selloana
As you walk towards Merry
Hill on your left around the
base of the clock is a well
known garden plant, the
Pampas Grass.This plant was
first brought to the UK from
South America in 1855. A
tough grass with sharp leaves
which have in the past been
used to make paper. The
feathery flower heads are
popular with birds.
Conifers
Conifers produce cones
which contain the seeds and
have needle!like leaves. Pine
trees tend to have needles
arranged in pairs or more
whilst spruce trees always
have individual needles. Only
3 species of conifer are
native to the UK; Scot’s
Pine, Yew and Juniper.
PLANT
Evolution
The plant kingdom is
made up of many types of
plants which are grouped
together according to
their shape, structure and
the di!erent ways they
produce seeds. Recent
plant DNA research is
having an impact on the
way we understand how
these plants are related to
each other.
Some of the earliest
plants, such as ferns and
mosses, reproduce by
means of spores. These
can been seen on the back
of fern and bracken leaves
as small spots. Plants later
in the evolution system
produce seeds as we would
recognise them now.
Some of the earliest trees,
appearing about 135
milllion years ago, include
the Maidenhair Tree,
Gingko biloba, Monkey
Puzzle Araucaria araucana
and many of the conifers
we know today.
25
 Cedars

There are a number of Cedar

trees around Brierley Hill,
particularly in the Merry Hill
Car Park. These trees produce
barrel shaped cones which
take two years to mature
before breaking up on the
branch, releasing their seeds.
The remnants of cones fall to
the ground and have the
appearance of wooden roses!

There are three species.

Blue Cedar with pendulous
branches, Lebanon Cedar
with level branches and
Atlantic Cedar with branches
that ascend, or curl upwards
at their tips.
 New Zealand Flax
Phormium tenax

Originating from New

Zealand this is a popular
garden plant, its tall flower
spikes producing red, orange
or yellow flowers, full of
nectar, followed by large
seed pods.

The sword shaped leaves

contain one of the toughest
plant fibres known to man. In
fact its name refers to its use
for weaving, Phormium
meaning wickerwork or
basket and tenax means to
hold fast. The Maori used the
fibre for clothes, ropes,
basket and net making. A
juice made from the roots is
used as a disinfectant.
TREE
Rings
Log posts used along
the car park fencing show
us how trees grow. Tree
rings in a tree trunk can be
used to work out the age
of the tree when it was
felled. Each spring and
summer trees put on new
growth, not just getting
taller but also their trunk
and branches increase in
girth. This shows as a ring,
the broader rings show
that more growth was
made in that season than a
narrower ring.

27
 Lichens

As you walk towards the

entrance to the shopping
centre you will notice that
the trees are covered with
lichens. Lichens are actually
two plants – a fungi and an
algae living together.
Lichens are good indicators
of clean air.
 Fungi

In the Autumn the grass

areas around the car parks
are full of fungi. They have
no chlorophyl, the green
colouring that helps plants
produce food from the sun,
instead they get their food
from the soil or other plants.
The mushroom or toadstool
part we see is often just a
small part of the plant, the
main part out of sight
underground, or in the case
of parasitic fungi, growing in
its host plant.

Kentia Palm
Howea forseriana

Inside Merry Hill, like many

shopping centres, many
plants are used to create
landscapes indoors. One
to look out for is the Kentia
Palm originating from Lord
Howe Island, 400 miles east
from New South Wales,
Australia. A popular house
plant particularly in Victorian
times, as the palm could
withstand the low light levels
typical in Victorian homes.
29
SALTWELLS
Nature Reserve

Here the walk ends but

opposite Merry Hill is
Saltwells Local Nature
Reserve. Why not continue
your walk across to this 100
hectare reserve, one of the
largest urban nature
reserves in the country. At
the centre of the reserve is
the 40 hectare wood, the
western part of which is
a Scheduled Ancient
Monument due to the rare
survival of old mining earth!
works dating back to the
1300s; a reminder of the
industry of an area.

Monkey Puzzle
Araucaria araucana

This brings us back to our

coal seam and a type of
tree that has been around
since Jurrassic times,
almost as old as the coal
seams themselves ! the
Monkey Puzzle tree.
There is one outside
Saltwell House and also
in gardens along Mill
Street.

30
This distinctive, familiar
evergreen tree is one of the
oldest and rarest trees in the
world. It has evolved little
since the Jurassic period, over
140 million years ago when
there were huge Araucaria
forests from Brazil to
Antartica. In fact, the
fossilised form of this tree
species is also known as
Whitby jet, proving that the
tree grew here in Britain
millions of years ago.
The tree was introduced to
Britain by the Scottish plant
hunter Archibald Menzies in
1795. Menzies, a marine
surgeon and botanist,
travelled on board the ship
Discovery. It is often said that
Menzies was having an
unsuccessful plant hunting
trip and during a formal
dinner with the Governor of
Chile, Menzies saved some
nuts from the dinner table.
Passing the seeds onto Royal
Botanic Garden Kew the
seeds were propagated. The
last 5 original trees at Kew
survived until 1892.

Let us know how you

got on, what you
discovered and saw.
Contact
pam@sited.org.uk
Answers
The Gardener’s Arms Quiz
Q1. A Spade
Peanuts Arachis hypogeae are neither peas nor nuts, but a legume, so
actually a bean! Native to North America, the clover!like plant with
bright green leaves produces yellow flowers low down on the stem.
After pollinating the flower stem droops down and pokes into the soil
where the pod containing the peanuts then ripens. From planting to
harvest takes 4 – 5 months.

Q2. The Stem

Potato is a stem tuber. Many plant stems adapt in some way often to
conserve moisture, for example as in many cacti, or to protect
themselves from grazing by becoming spiny or to support climbing.
The potato is a swollen underground stem adapted to conserve
moisture. The eyes in a potato are actually buds.

Q3. 400 Pints

Trees take up water by root pressure pushing water up the trunk and
also through water loss from the leaves, creating a vaccum and
sucking water up.

Q4. 8 Hours
Charles Darwin studied the climbing growth of the hop plant and
recorded that it twinned around it's support every eight
hours.

Q5. Oak
The Cork Oak, Quercus suber. The bark is peeled o" one side of the
tree trunk every few years.

Q6. Willow
The fever reducing properties of willow (Salix alba) bark were first
recorded by Hippocrates in the 5th Century BC. and is
derived from it's active ingredient Salicylic acid.

Q7. Red
The colour of Hydrangea flowers depends on the amount of aluminium
in the soil. In acid soils the aluminium is soluble and can be used by the
plant. Hydrangea flowers in acid soils are blue, in alkaline soils (where
the aluminium remains locked in the soil) are red. Alka Seltzer is
alkaline so large quantities would lock up the aluminium, making the
flowers red.

32
Walking to Discover
BRIERLEY HILL
Pamela Smith

Published by OPAL, 2010

Copyright: Pamela Smith

Publication Design: Catharine Clarke
Photography: Pamela and Bethan Smith

Printed by Regency Press, Birmingham

on 100% recycled stock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means without the prior permission
in writing of the publisher.

The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project is an

exciting initiative that is open to anyone with
an interest in nature. It aims to inspire people to
explore, study, enjoy and protect their local environment.
The project is funded by the Big Lottery fund, in
partnership with the Natural History Museum. In the West Midlands
the project is coordinated by the University of Birmingham. Everyone
can take part, there are lots of activities and events. You can even help
collect scientific data which will feed back into national studies on our
wildlife and habitats.

www.opalexplorenature.org
 Elder
BRIERLEY HILL: Discovery Walks Sambucus nigra
Common Lime
Tilia x europaea
London Plane
Platanus x hispanica
Silver Birch
Betula pendula
Bracken
Pteridium aquilinum
Alder
Alnus incana
Coltsfoot
Tussilago farfara
Pampas Grass
Cortaderia selloana

Conifers

Cedars
New Zealand Flax
Phormium tenax

Route One: Lichens

Circular Walk
Route Two: Fungi
Linear Walk
Kentia Palm
Howea forseriana
Monkey Puzzle
Araucaria araucana