Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Winter 1994/1995 - No 58
Ian Morgan

Weasel-snout Misopates orontium, also known as the lesser snapdragon and as Trwyn y Llo Bychan ("nose of the little calf) in Welsh, is an attractive declining annual plant up to c.30 cms in height with pink flowers and linear leaves reminiscent of the garden snapdragon Antirrhinum majus, to which it is closely related. It is rare in Carmarthehshire, with May ( 1967) giving its status as simply Rare. llwynhendy (J.A. Webb, 1939); Cilymaenllwyd (JAW, 1944); Laugharne (J.F. Thomas, ;undated but c1950-601) and near Furnace (Miss Innes, c.1840)". The distribution map in Ellis (19831 show records to be concentrated in west Pembrokeshire, along the coast of north Wales, Cardigan Bay and sporadically from Gower through the Vale of Glamorgan into Gwent.

For Pembrokeshire, T.A. Warren-Davis (1970) regarded it as 'a rather local weed of cultivation, mostly in the west" whilst the recent Fora of Glamorgan (Wade et a1, 1994) describes weasel-snout as, "introduced. A rare weed of cultivated land and waste ground. Reoently recorded from only four localities". For Ceredigion (Cardigan), Arthur Chater (1994) gives an interesting account of its abundance in some strips of arable cultivation at Mwnt (N. of Cardigan) during a BSBI field trip on 14th August 1993. He also gives a "list of associates, some of which have peen recorded with the Carmarthenshire plants.

In Carmarthenshire, there were no recent records until one writer discovered it in some abundance, in (i) allotments on the northern slope of Bigyn Hill, Llanelli 21/509998 (13.8.91), where it was associated with field woundwort Stachys arvensis and cut-leaved deadnettle Lamium hybridum.

Subsequently, there were three other records (all IKM).

1. a single plant on a spoil heap behind Bethlehem Chapel, Pwll 22/473009 (22.9.1992 , with one locally rare henbit Lamium amplexiraule and annual mercury Mercurialis annua.
2. Soar Chapel, Llwynhendy 21/542997 (20.8.1994), c.9 plants ih the central part of the graveyard.
3.  Adulam Chapel, Felinfoel 22/516022 (1.10.1994), quite common in this bare, heavily-"herbicided" graveyard, particularly in the lower SE part. A few  of sharp-leaved fluellen Kickxia elatine were also present.

Interestingly, both Soar and Adulam Chapel graveyards receive liberal doses of herbicide and, because of their bare general appearance, have been previously neglected as not worthy of botanical survey by the writer. :t seems that Misopates has some resistance to herbicides, perhaps also explaining its persistence in arable fields. It would have been doubtless more frequent

(perhaps even common) ih previous centuries when a mixed farming economy was prevalent in south—west Wales, and which provided herbicide-free fields of tillage suitable for this annual. Its current status in Carmarthenshire is probably still best expressed as "rare" (and sporadic), with to recent Pwll record almost a chance occurrence and the thriving Bigyn locality almost inaccessible due to the impregnable fences put up by the allotment users. The two chapel sites were, as stated, considered of no botanical interest due to their general appearance. Ever. at these latter sites it may be overlooked for weasel-snout is rather a late flowerer.

References

Chater, A.J. (1994). Reports of field meetings: Mwnt, Cardiganshire (VC46) 14 Aug. :14;. 3531 .News 65: 65-66.

Davis, T.A.W. ,1901. Plants of Pembrokeshire. WWNT Haverfordwest: 43.

Ellis, R.G. (1933; Flowering ?'ants of Wales. National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. wade, A.E , :Kay, Q.O.N. 4 Ellis, R.G. (1994). Flora of Glamorgan. HMSO London: 167.