Corky-Fruited Water Dropwort Shoots Down Missiles

By Wes Porter —— Bio and Archives April 18, 2012

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“To every thing there is a season” according to Ecclesiastes 3:1. And an insane season it is as London, England, gears up for the Olympics. Plans to use surface-to-air missiles to protect the skies over London during the Olympic could be thwarted – because they will disturb the habitat of a rare wildflower, The Mail on Sunday summed it up.

The corky-fruited water dropwort, Oenanthe pimpinelloides, a member of the Apiaceae, or carrot family, is a rarity in England and Ireland. Elsewhere, however, it is common throughout Europe, the Middle East, Western Asia, and North Africa. Indeed it some of those areas it is regarded as an obnoxious weed. It is one of about a dozen species of Oenanthe, the name deriving from Greek oinos for ‘wine’ and anthos ‘flower’ from wine-like scent of blooms which somewhat resemble the familiar Queen Anne’s lace. One, the hemlock water dropwort, O. crocata, is extremely poisonous; some research indicates it may have been used to execute criminals and also for eliminating elderly people in Phoenician Sardinia. One of the very few areas in England where it flourishes is in the Oxleas Woods of southeast London. A designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it has remained untouched in 8,000 years since the last ice age retreated north of the Thames Valley, and an ecological treasure house. Fearful that terrorists might hijack an airliner during the Games, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond ordered batteries of surface-to-air Rapier missiles to protect Londoners. They briefly entered the Oxleas Woods on an “exercise” before withdrawing. This infuriated a local Member of Parliament for Elthan constituency. Labour’s Clive Efford was furious he was not consulted before the decision was made and he has objected to the missiles threatening the corky-fruited water dropwort. The kicker? Regardless of their impact on the innocent perennial plant, Rapier missiles have a range of but 10 miles. Should the Prime Minister order a hijacked plane to be shot down, the debris will land on the very citizens that the Defence Secretary claims to be protecting, though with any luck not O. pimpinelloides.