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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Garden Arabis

Flower: Clusters of small white, pink or purple flowers. Each flower is about 1.5cm across. Pollinated by bees, butterflies and moths. Fruit: A long slender capsule. The seeds ripen from April to June. Leaves: A low mat-forming perennial flower with hoary, long-stalked, oblong leaves. The leaves are slightly toothed. The upper leaves clap their stems and have arrow-shaped lobes. Evergreen.

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Mountain Ash

Flower: The Mountain Ash, known for its stunning scarlet berries and delicate, creamy-white flowers, is a captivating sight in the British countryside. These elegant blossoms, often appearing in late spring to early summer, adorn the tree's branches with their soft, graceful petals. Their pristine beauty an... Fruit: The fruit of the Mountain Ash, distinguished by its vibrant red hue, is a distinctive feature of this iconic British tree. These glossy scarlet berries, often observed in abundance during the autumn season, create a striking contrast against the tree's green foliage. Their plump and inviting appeara... Leaves: The leaves of the Mountain Ash, commonly found in the United Kingdom, are characterized by their pinnate arrangement and finely serrated edges. Each leaflet is a lustrous dark green, imparting a rich, verdant canopy to the tree during the growing season. In the autumn, these leaves undergo a spectac...

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Wild Asparagus

Flower: Asparagus prostratus produces small, bell-shaped flowers that are yellowish-green, around 4–6 mm in length. Each flower has six tepals and hangs singly or in pairs on short stalks from the leaf axils. Blooming occurs in late spring to early summer. While inconspicuous, the flowers are delicate and n... Fruit: After flowering, the plant produces small, spherical red berries, each about 5–8 mm across. These fruits are visually striking against the wiry stems but are mildly toxic to humans and not consumed. They contain a few black seeds and are eaten by birds, which help disperse them. Leaves: What appear to be “leaves” are actually phylloclades — modified flattened stems that look like slender, pointed needles. True leaves are tiny and scale-like. The phylloclades are arranged in tufts along the thin, wiry stems and are typically green, spine-tipped, and less than 2 cm long. Stems often ...

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Goldilocks Aster

Flower: Loose, erect clusters of bright golden yellow flowers. They measure no larger than 1.8cm across. The yellow stigmas are prominent. Very late flowering. Fruit: The fruit is an achene. An achene is a type of dry, one-seeded fruit. Leaves: Numerous, linear, lance-shaped leaves. Unlike the similar looking Golden Samphire (Inula crithmoides), the leaves are not fleshy.

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Water Avens

Flower: The flowers of Water Avens are characterized by their nodding, reddish-purple petals. These blooms add a touch of elegance to the plant and typically appear in late spring to mid-summer. Fruit: The fruit of Water Avens consists of small, dry achenes. These one-seeded fruits develop after the flowering period and contribute to the plant's reproductive cycle. Leaves: The basal leaves of Water Avens are pinnate and possess a slightly hairy texture. These toothed leaves contribute to the overall appearance of the plant, forming a lush and green foliage.

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Mountain Avens

Flower: Solitary flowers which are stalked (3 to 10cm in length). Usually 8 petals (sometimes 7 to 10). At the centre of the flower are many golden yellow stamens. Flowers are each 4cm in diameter. Pollinated by insects. Fruit: The fruit is a nutlet, attached is a long feathery plume. Leaves: A low-growing, prostrate, mat-forming undershrub with dark green, oak-like leaves. The undersides of the leaves are downy white. The upper surfaces are smooth and hairless. The stems are woody. Grows on limestone soils in rocky, mountainous places.

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Trailing Azalea

Flower: Trailing Azalea produces small, pale pink to white, star-shaped flowers arranged singly or in small clusters. The flowers have five pointed petals with a delicate, often speckled appearance, blooming in late spring to summer. Fruit: The fruit is a dry capsule, usually containing several small seeds. When mature, it splits open to release the seeds. Leaves: The leaves are small, evergreen, leathery, and scale-like, arranged oppositely or in whorls along trailing, creeping stems. They are dark green to reddish-brown, adapted to cold alpine and arctic environments.

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Bastard Balm

Flower: Whorls of white flowers with the lower lip being mainly pink. Flowers each measure up to 4cm in size. Pollinated by bees and moths. Fruit: The fruits are nutlets. Leaves: The crinkled, hairy leaves vary in shape and colour, measuring from 5 to 9cm in length. They are generally oval and pointed. Perennial.

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Baneberry

Flower: The white fluffy flowers appear in stalked clusters, up to 10cm long. Pollinated by flies and beetles. Fruit: Glossy black berries, 1cm in diameter. The seeds ripen in July and August. Leaves: A perennial plant with 2-pinnate or trifoliate leaves. The leaves are well-toothed. Hairless. Can be found growing on limestone pavements and in ash woodland.

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Warty Barberry

Flower: Warty barberry produces clusters of small, bright yellow flowers in late spring to early summer. The blossoms, arranged in elongated racemes, exhibit delicate petals and are complemented by holly-like, evergreen foliage. The distinctive flowers, tinged with a hint of yellow-orange, add a touch of vi... Fruit: Following the flowering period in late spring to early summer, Berberis verruculosa, also known as Warty barberry or Oregon grape, develops small, grape-like berries that undergo a color transformation from green to purplish-black. These distinctive fruits are a notable feature of the shrub, adding ... Leaves: The leaves of Warty barberry are characterized by their holly-like appearance and evergreen nature. These glossy, dark green leaves are pinnately compound, consisting of multiple leaflets arranged along a central vein. The leaflets are spiny-toothed, contributing to the shrub's overall deterrent eff...

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Common Barberry

Flower: Berberis vulgaris produces bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers with six petals, grouped in drooping racemes of 10–20 blossoms. These appear in April to June, each flower measuring around 5–7 mm across. The blooms are nectar-rich and attract bees, hoverflies, and other pollinators. The yellow flowers a... Fruit: The plant produces clusters of small, elongated red berries about 1 cm long, ripening from late summer into autumn (August–October). These berries are edible when fully ripe, though very sour and astringent. They were traditionally used for jams, jellies, and even as a souring agent in some Middle E... Leaves: Leaves are small (2–5 cm), oval to oblong, with toothed margins, and are arranged in whorls or clusters along the stems. They are green in summer, often turning red or purple in autumn. Each leaf cluster arises near a three-pronged thorn, a typical feature of barberries. The leaves are deciduous, fa...

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Alpine Bartsia

Flower: Alpine Bartsia produces striking dark purple to violet flowers, about 15–20 mm long, arranged in dense terminal spikes. Each flower is two-lipped, with a hooded upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip, typical of the figwort family (Orobanchaceae). The flowers appear from June to August, providing a b... Fruit: After flowering, the plant develops small, oblong capsules, each containing numerous tiny seeds. These capsules remain enclosed by the persistent calyx. Seeds are dispersed by wind and gravity, often falling near the parent plant — contributing to its patchy and restricted distribution in upland hab... Leaves: Leaves are opposite, dark green to purplish, and coarsely toothed, with a slightly glossy surface. They are ovate to lance-shaped and often have a reddish tinge, especially in upland light conditions. The lower leaves are stalked, while upper ones are often sessile (without stalks) and can sometimes...

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Arctic Bearberry

Flower: Small white, bell-shaped flowers. Flowers are stalked. 5 green sepals and 5 fused petals.. 10 stamens. Pollinated by bees. Fruit: The fruit is a globular black berry, up to 12mm in diameter. Fruits are green initially, later turning red and then finally black. Leaves: Small oval, pointed leaves with finely toothed margins.

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Spiny Bearsbreech

Flower: Spiny Bearsbreech is known for its striking, architectural flowers. The blossoms are characterized by their tall, spiky inflorescences, which feature hood-like bracts with spiky tips. The individual flowers are tubular and emerge from these bracts, forming a dense, elongated spike. The color of the ... Fruit: Spiny Bearsbreech does not produce typical fleshy fruits. Instead, it reproduces through seeds. After the flowering period, the plant forms seed capsules that contain the seeds. These capsules are dry and split open when mature, releasing the seeds. The seeds are small and are often dispersed by win... Leaves: The leaves of Spiny Bearsbreech are large, deeply lobed, and glossy green in colour. Each leaf typically has several sharply toothed segments that give them a distinctive, spiky appearance. The lobes are deeply cut and have spiny tips, contributing to the plant's name. The overall leaf structure is ...

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