Sweet Alyssum

Flower: Sweet Alyssum is a charming and petite flowering plant with delicate blooms. The flowers, shaped like small clusters, come in a variety of colours, including white, pink, purple, and lavender. Each flower consists of four petals, creating a dainty and intricate appearance. The fragrance of these blo... Fruit: Sweet Alyssum is not typically grown for its fruit, as it is primarily cultivated for its attractive and fragrant flowers. The plant produces small, inconspicuous fruits that are not commonly a focal point in gardening discussions. The main ornamental appeal of Sweet Alyssum lies in its profusion of... Leaves: Sweet Alyssum features small, lance-shaped leaves that contribute to its overall compact and neat appearance. The leaves are typically green in colour and form a dense carpet of foliage beneath the delicate clusters of flowers. These leaves are relatively small in size, adding to the fine texture of...

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Sea Aster

Flower: The Sea Aster graces the coastal landscapes of the United Kingdom with its stunning flowers, showcasing a kaleidoscope of hues, including soft pinks, purples, and lavenders. Blooming from late summer through early autumn, these vibrant flowers contribute to the picturesque beauty of shorelines. The ... Fruit: The Sea Aster produces small, inconspicuous fruits that follow the blooming period. These fruits, often referred to as achenes, possess a subtle yet essential role in the plant's reproductive cycle. Enclosed within the dried flower head, the achenes are dispersed through various mechanisms, aiding i... Leaves: The Sea Aster boasts leaves that exhibit a diversity of shapes, ranging from lanceolate to elliptical, contributing to its overall visual allure. These resilient leaves, with their distinctive green hues, form a dense foliage that plays a vital role in stabilizing coastal soils and preventing erosio...

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Sea Beet

Flower: Sea Beet bears small, inconspicuous greenish flowers. These flowers are typically modest in size and bloom from late spring to early summer. The plant's flowering stems emerge from the glossy foliage, adding a subtle touch to its coastal habitat. While not known for flamboyant blossoms, Sea Beet's f... Fruit: The fruit of Sea Beet consists of small, rounded seed clusters encapsulated within fleshy, triangular structures known as bracts. These bracts often have a papery texture and can take on a reddish or purplish hue. The seeds are contained within these protective structures, and as the plant matures, ... Leaves: Sea Beet is characterized by its large, fleshy leaves, which have a glossy surface. The leaves are typically green but may display a red or purplish tinge, particularly on the stems. These leaves are edible, and when young, they are often harvested for culinary purposes, offering a taste reminiscent...

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Sea Bindweed

Flower: The flowers of Sea Bindweed (Calystegia soldanella) are striking and distinctive, typically funnel-shaped and measuring 3-5 cm in diameter. They exhibit a delicate pink to purple hue with prominent white stripes running along the petals, creating a visually appealing contrast. Blooming from late spr... Fruit: The fruit of Sea Bindweed is a small, round capsule that develops after the plant's distinctive flowers have been pollinated. These capsules contain several seeds, which are black, smooth, and shiny. The seeds are dispersed primarily by wind and water, allowing the plant to colonize new areas along ... Leaves: The leaves of Sea Bindweed are notable for their unique shape and adaptation to coastal environments. They are kidney-shaped to rounded, often described as fleshy and waxy, which helps to reduce water loss in the sandy, saline habitats where the plant thrives. The leaves are arranged alternately alo...

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Virgin's Bower

Flower: Virgin's Bower produces abundant, star-shaped white flowers with four narrow petal-like sepals and many prominent yellow stamens. Flowers are typically 1.5–2.5 cm across and bloom in large clusters (panicles) from June to September. The overall appearance is frothy and airy, making it highly attract... Fruit: After flowering, Clematis flammula forms feathery, plume-like achenes with long silky styles. These are silvery and fluffy, aiding in wind dispersal and giving a striking display into autumn. Leaves: The leaves are pinnate with 5 to 9 ovate leaflets, each being glossy green and somewhat pointed. They are opposite, deciduous, and have a slightly toothed or entire margin. The plant is a climbing shrub, often using leaf stalks to twine around supports.

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Common Broomrape

Flower: Papery-looking, creamy yellow and usually with dark reddish-purple veins. Flowers are each up to 16mm long. Yellow stigma, sometimes purple. Fruit: The fruit of Common Broomrape is a small, capsule-like structure. This fruit is typically brown and can vary in size, containing numerous tiny seeds. The capsule develops after the flowering stage, and when mature, it splits open to release the seeds, contributing to the plant's reproductive cycle. ... Leaves: Broomrapes do not have leaves. They are parasitic; numerous hosts, in particular Black Medick and Wild Carrot. The stems of Common Broomrape are reddish-brown and occasionally creamy yellow. Most common in south-east England, scarce elsewhere. Broomrape species are notoriously difficult to tell apar...

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Sea Buckthorn

Flower: Sea Buckthorn produces small, inconspicuous yellow-green flowers that appear in early spring, usually around March to May. The flowers are unshowy and lack petals, but they are important early nectar sources for pollinators. The plant is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate sh... Fruit: The most striking feature of Sea Buckthorn is its vivid orange berries, which ripen in late summer to autumn (typically September to October). These small, round berries grow densely along the branches and remain on the plant well into winter. They are exceptionally rich in vitamin C and have a shar... Leaves: The narrow, lance-shaped leaves of Sea Buckthorn are a silvery-green colour with a slight sheen, giving the shrub a distinctive appearance. The silvery underside is due to tiny scales that help the plant conserve moisture in coastal and sandy environments. Leaves grow alternately along the thorny br...

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Bugloss

Flower: Light blue, bell-shaped flowers with white honeyguides, measuring approximately 5mm across. The petal-tube is curved. Pollinated by bees. Fruit: Bugloss does not produce traditional fruits; instead, it reproduces through seeds. The plant produces small, black seeds that are dispersed for propagation. The seeds are not typically considered fruits in the botanical sense, but they play a crucial role in the plant's reproductive cycle. The seeds... Leaves: The stems are hairy and bristly. The narrow, pointed leaves are also hairy and warty. The upper leaves clasp their stems. Leaves alternate along the stems. Basal leaves are stalked but the upper leaves are stalkless. The leaves are shallow-toothed and hairy on both sides.

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Bunny Ears

Flower: Bunny Ear (Lomentaria articulata) is a distinctive marine red algae found in the coastal waters of Europe. Its name derives from its flattened, branching thalli that resemble bunny ears. The algae display a reddish hue, and their tiny, rounded reproductive structures, known as cystocarps, are scatte... Fruit: Bunny Ear does not produce fruit in the traditional sense, as it is a type of marine red algae. Instead, it reproduces through the formation of cystocarps, which are small, rounded structures that develop on the thalli. These cystocarps contain the spores necessary for the algae's reproductive cycle... Leaves: Bunny Ear lacks traditional leaves, as it is a type of marine red algae. Instead of leaves, it has flattened, branching thalli that resemble the shape of bunny ears, giving the algae its common name. These thalli are the primary structures involved in photosynthesis, nutrient absorption, and reprodu...

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Isle of Man Cabbage

Flower: Isle of Man Cabbage produces bright yellow, four-petalled flowers characteristic of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), arranged in loose, terminal racemes. These bloom primarily in late spring and early summer, and the petals are usually rounded with a subtle cross-shape. Fruit: The plant forms long, narrow siliques (seed pods) that are slightly curved and smooth, each containing multiple tiny seeds. These pods project outwards or slightly upward from the stem. Leaves: The leaves form a ground-level rosette in early growth and are typically lobed or deeply toothed, with a shape resembling cabbage leaves. Stem leaves are narrower and may have a bluish or grey-green tinge, with a soft, downy surface.

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Lundy Cabbage

Flower: Lundy Cabbage bears bright yellow, four-petalled flowers characteristic of the cabbage family. Each flower is around 1.5–2 cm wide, with slightly rounded petals and conspicuous stamens. Flowering occurs from April to June, and the blooms grow in loose clusters at the top of the plant. Fruit: The fruit is a narrow, upright pod (silique), typically 2–4 cm long, which splits open when mature to release small, dark seeds. These follow flowering in early summer and contribute to the plant’s annual regeneration. Leaves: The leaves of Lundy Cabbage are large, fleshy, and deeply lobed, with a crinkled texture and a slightly grey-green hue. They form a loose basal rosette with some alternate leaves climbing the stem. The foliage gives the plant a distinctive cabbage-like appearance.

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Small-flowered Catchfly

Flower: Small-flowered Catchfly bears small, starry flowers, typically 6–12 mm across. The petals are usually pale pink with darker pink or reddish veins, although white forms also exist. Each flower has a tubular, hairy calyx and five petals, which may be notched or slightly lobed. It blooms from May to Se... Fruit: The fruit is a small, oval capsule, which opens via six teeth at the top to release tiny seeds. The seeds are dark, kidney-shaped, and have a finely textured surface, helping them disperse close to the parent plant. Seed production is usually prolific where populations are healthy. Leaves: The leaves are narrow, hairy, and opposite, with a somewhat sticky texture. They are usually unlobed and lanceolate in shape, with the upper leaves often clasping the stem. The plant as a whole is glandular-hairy, which can make it feel slightly tacky to the touch — a trait that inspired the name “c...

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Sand Catstail

Flower: Green flower spike, fading to yellow later in the season. Maximum length of the flower spike is 5cm. Fruit: The fruits of grasses are known as caryopses. They are a type of dry, one-seeded fruit. Leaves: Flat, linear leaves. Blunt ligules.

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Seaside Centaury

Flower: Tight clusters of pink flowers. Occasionally a white flower may be seen. Similar in appearance to Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea) but is a smaller plant and the flowers are more bluish-pink. Lesser Centaury (Centaurium pulchellum) is also similar but it's petals are smaller and more slender. ... Fruit: A 2-sectioned seed capsule. Leaves: An erect plant with stalkless, leathery, smooth and hairless, strap-shaped leaves. The leaves are parallel sided (a distinguishing feature), rather unlike other species of Centaury found in the UK. Basal and stem leaves are both present. The stem leaves are in opposite pairs up the stem. Can be foun...

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Bur Chervil

Flower: Bur Chervil produces small white flowers arranged in compound umbels (typical of the carrot family). Each umbel consists of 5–10 tiny flowers with five petals that are slightly unequal in size. Blooming occurs from April to June, and though the flowers are modest, their arrangement is a key identify... Fruit: The fruit is a small oval schizocarp, about 3–5 mm long, covered in hooked bristles — hence the "bur" in its name. These bristles allow the fruit to cling to animal fur or clothing, aiding in dispersal. This hooked fruit distinguishes it from similar plants like Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). Leaves: The leaves are fern-like, finely divided, and bright green, resembling those of common chervil. They are delicate and lacy, forming a triangular outline. The leaf stalks may be slightly hairy. Unlike some toxic relatives, the foliage has a mildly pleasant scent when crushed, though less so than edib...

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