Crossword and Sudoku brain-teasers.

ACROSS

1 Impressionist noted for landscapes including Regatta at Hampton Court, Rest Along the Stream. Edge of the Wood and The Small Meadows in Spring (6)

5 Related to plants including comfrey, forgetme-not and heliotrope, a herb with edible blue flowers and cucumber-flavoured leaves (6)

8 Originator of the romantic thriller genre whose novels include Madam, Will You Talk?, Airs Above the Ground, Thornyhold and Rose Cottage (7)

13 Spice derived from the inner bark of a Sri Lankan tree, used for baked apples, carrot cakes, poached pears, masala chai and teacakes (8)

14 Inhabiting more environments than any of its feline relatives, a big cat known collectively as a leap (7)

15 ____ Bountiful; character in George Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem (4)

16 Major ecological community of flora and fauna such as desert, grassland, freshwater, forest, marine or tundra (5) 17 Another name for rebels such as the crew aboard HMS Bounty who revolted against their commander William Bligh and set him adrift (9) 18 Fellow of the Royal Society whose identification of 212 isotopes by means of his mass spectrograph earned him a Nobel Prize (5)

20 Roman goddess of spring; the first name of the heroine in Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons; or, a type of illustrated book on plant life (5)

21 ______ dance; a honeybee’s unique form of communication decoded by Austrian ethologist Karl von Frisch in 1946 (6)

22 Cloudy or clear citrus beverage used for shandy, St Clements, Pimms and other summer fruit cups (8)

25 Mural painting technique exemplified in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling including The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment (6)

27 Equestrian foot support; one of the items of saddlery or tack traditionally crafted by a loriner (7)

28 Button for a duffel coat; bolt for a plasterboard wall; or, a computer key for switching between two functions (6)

30 Architectural style introduced to England by Inigo Jones in 1613 (9)

32 Folklorish type of story collected by the Brothers Grimm or written by Hans Christian Andersen (5,4)

35 Another name for a basement or a vault; or, linked with “salt” for an item paired with a pepper mill (6)

36 Nordic country with a red, white and blue national flag symbolising the elements of its landscape – volcanic fires, snow/glaciers, sky and mountains (7)

37 Lanes for bowling or skittles; or, tree- or flower-lined walks or paths through gardens and shrubberies (6)

39 Traditional honeycomb stitching for the yoke, bodice and cuffs of summer dresses for adults

and baby girls (8)

41 Flowing from the Cotswolds to London, the longest river entirely in England (6)

43 Word linking with “shock” for a tremor succeeding an earthquake (5)

45 Main colour of the front door of 10 Downing Street; or, the scientist who discovered latent heat (5)

47 The largest country in Oceania (9)

49 _____ Time; Richard Curtis movie (5)

52 Brightest star in constellation Lyra (4)

53 Trailing summer garden flower used for hanging baskets, overturned or spilled planters and window boxes (7)

54 Margaret Thatcher’s nickname used in the title of a 2011 biopic (4,4)

55 Tube for underwater swimming with mask and fins; or, a similar device for off-roading through water in a 4x4 (7)

56 Also known as perfect prime, two musical instruments playing identical notes simultaneously (6)

57 ______ Orchid; grey racehorse that won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989 (6)

DOWN

2 Enlarged first letter in an illuminated manuscript, often highly-decorative, richlycoloured, gold-embellished... (7)

3 Distinguishing geographic features such as Stonehenge or Tower Bridge (9)

4 Long-distance military march (4)

5 Musical instrument of Ukraine (7)

6 Kitchen utensil for flattening pastry, fondant icing and biscuit dough (7,3)

7 Summer fruit paired with elderflowers for puddings or poached as an accompaniment for mackerel (10)

9 Word linking with spring or neap for oceanic activity determined by the monthly syzygy of the Moon (4)

10 Small cathedral city in Somerset (5)

11 Actor who starred in films including The Great Gatsby (1974), Out of Africa and The Horse Whisperer (7)

12 Sixth and last wife of Henry VIII (4)

19 1998 novel by Ian McEwan (9)

22 Conventional name for the geographic region known by its native Sami inhabitants as Sápmi (7)

23 Period of time from dusk until dawn personified by Norse goddess Nótt (5)

24 German poet who wrote Hyperion (9)

26 Composer who wrote the theme to The Victorian Kitchen Garden and, with Tim Gibson, Antiques Roadshow (5)

27 Figure _______; sport depicted in I, Tonya (7) 29 Italian-born French composer who wrote the operas Alceste and Armide (5)

31 Plant in the olive family with panicles of fragrant buddleia-like flowers (5)

33 Women’s athletic contest comprising seven track-and-field disciplines (10)

34 Head accessories popular for summer events including garden parties, Wimbledon and Henley Regatta (6,4)

38 Ring-shaped nautical safety devices, often orange and white (9)

40 Worcestershire town that hosts the RHS spring gardening festival (7)

42 First _______; book or set of books printed and distributed for the first time (7)

44 South American country containing parts of the Andes, capital Quito (7)

46 _____ de Lune; third movement of Claude Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque (5)

48 Boss of a shield; or, a mycological term for the top of a mushroom (4)

50 A. A. Milne’s nickname; colour of a waymarker indicating a bridle path; or, a ski run rated intermediate (4)

51 Type of habitat supporting two-thirds of all British freshwater species including common frog and great crested newt (4)