page_title: Stewarton
section_title: The Stewarton Flower
hierarchical_section_title: Stewarton / Geography and Climate / The Stewarton Flower
caption_attribution_description: English: Remains of the Longridge Planting, Stewarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland
context_page_description: Stewarton is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In comparison to the neighbouring towns of Kilmaurs, Fenwick, Dunlop and Lugton, it is a relatively large town, with a population estimated of over 7,400. It is 300 feet above sea level. The town is served by Stewarton railway station.
  Stewarton lies within Strathannick, with the Annick Water flowing through the town. The community is in a rural part of East Ayrshire, about 6 miles north of Kilmarnock and to the East of Irvine. In the past, Stewarton served as a crossroads between the traditional routes from Kilmarnock, Irvine and Ayr to the city of Glasgow. However, in recent times, the M77 motorway has bypassed the town. The old road is known as the "Auld Glesga Road" and the former name is still used by locals.
context_section_description: The Stewarton Flower, so named due to its local abundance and recorded as such by the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers, is otherwise known as Pink Purslane (Claytonia sibirica) is found in damp areas. This plant was introduced from North America in Victorian times, quite possibly at the Robertland Estate.
  In 1915 it was stated to have been in the area for over 60 years and was abundant on the Corsehill Burn below Robertland in 1915. As far away as Dalgarven Mill the white flowered variety still dominates. The plant is very adept at reproducing by asexual plantlets and this maintains the white gene pool around Stewarton. The pink variety has not been able to predominate here, unlike almost everywhere else in the lowlands of Scotland, England and Wales. Claytonia sibirica is a seriously destructive alien invader which should not be transplanted to other sites.
caption: Remnants of the Longridge Planting
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