Two-spined Acaena

Flower: Globular flowerheads. Flowers are without petals. Each flower has 2 spines. White stamens. Fruit: The fruit is globular and spiny. The spines are purplish-red. Fruits measure up to 3cm in diameter. Leaves: A mat-forming perennial with bright green, pinnate leaves, up to 12cm long. The toothed leaflets are in 6 to 8 opposite pairs, plus a terminal leaflet. The young stems are hairy and often tinged red. Garden escape species.

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Alkanet

Flower: Tight clusters of purplish-blue flowers. Roundish petals. Densely hairy. 5 stamens. Pollinated by bees. Fruit: Brown, 4-parted fruit, about 4mm long. The seeds ripen from July to October. Leaves: The leaves and stems are very hairy. The leaves are elliptic and wavy-edged. Not toothed. The leaves are alternate along both sides of the stems. Biennial or perennial.

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Allseed

Flower: The small white flowers are short-stalked and appear inside branched clusters. The 4 petals are about as long as the toothed sepals. Fruit: The fruit is a globular seed capsule. Leaves: A well-branched annual with very small, pointed oval leaves. The leaves are in opposite pairs along the stems. Greyish-green, stiff, thread-like, forked, reddish stems.

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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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Globe Artichoke

Flower: The flower of a Globe Artichoke has a large, round, thistle-like head that can grow up to 6 inches in diameter. The outer leaves of the flower are dark green in color and are tightly layered around the base of the flower. The inner leaves are more purple in hue and are edible. The flower has a large... Fruit: The flower of the Globe Artichoke plant develops into an edible thistle-like head, which is the vegetable. The actual fruit of the plant is a small, dry, brown, spiny capsule containing numerous seeds. Leaves: The leaves of the Globe Artichoke are large, thick, and spiny. They are pale to dark green in color and can grow up to 8 inches in length. Each leaf is deeply lobed with a sharp point at the end and a thick, fleshy base. The leaves are covered in small prickles, which are edible but can be quite sha...

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Garden Asparagus

Flower: Bell-shaped, pale green or yellowish flowers. Pollinated by bees. Fruit: A small, red berry, up to 1cm across. The seeds ripen in September and October. Leaves: A perennial herb with an erect, single stem. The shoots are sometimes known as 'spears'.

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Wild Asparagus

Flower: Minute greenish-white or yellowish-white tubular flowers, appearing in 1's or 2's along the stems. Fruit: The fruit is a small red berry. Leaves: A long-lived perennial plant with no true leaves. Bluish-green, needle-like leaves in whorls along the stems. Leaves usually measure no longer than 2cm long.

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Bog Asphodel

Flower: Deep yellow spike of flowers, often tinged orange. Flowers are star-like with 6 petals and orange anthers. Fruit: Egg-shaped and bright orange. Leaves: Long and slender, grass-like.

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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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Mrs Wilson's Barberry

Flower: Clusters of yellow flowers. Possibly could be confused with Darwin's Barberry (Berberis darwinii) but that has orange flowers. Pollinated by insects. Fruit: Small red berries. The berries appear from August to November. Leaves: Mrs Wilson's Barberry is a very spiny shrub with arching branches. The leaves are narrow and pear-shaped. They are silvery green at first but by autumn the leaves have matured into a shade of red or deep crimson. Within the British Isles, it is fairly unusual to see this shrub growing wild.

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Sea Barley

Flower: The spike is a maximum of 5cm in length. It has stiff, strongly spreading awns, up to 2.5cm long. Fruit: The fruit is a caryopsis. A caryopsis is a type of dry, one-seeded fruit. Leaves: An tufted, erect, annual species with glaucous, velvety leaves.

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Yellow Bartsia

Flower: The inflorescence is a leafy spike of flowers. Each flower has got a long 3-lobed lower lip. Fruit: A hairy, egg-shaped capsule. About 1cm long. Leaves: An annual stiff plant covered in sticky, glandular hairs. The broadly lanceolate leaves appear together in opposite pairs. The hairy leaves are toothed and unstalked.

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Wild Basil

Flower: The flowers bloom in exquisite shades of purples and pinks, adding a touch of natural elegance to the British countryside. Delicately arranged in clusters, these dainty blossoms possess a sweet, aromatic fragrance that wafts through the air, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. The peta... Fruit: Wild Basil, native to the picturesque landscapes of the UK, bears small, round fruits that develop after the flowering season in late summer. These diminutive fruits are typically a deep shade of brown or black, resembling tiny nutlets. They're inconspicuous compared to the plant's vibrant flowers b... Leaves: The leaves of Wild Basil, flourishing in the UK's idyllic countryside, are a distinctive feature of this herbaceous plant. They are typically lance-shaped or oval and are adorned with a fine layer of tiny hairs, giving them a slightly fuzzy appearance. These leaves are aromatic, emitting a fragrance...

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Northern Bedstraw

Flower: Numerous small white flowers in branched, dense leafy clusters. Each flower is about 3mm in diameter. Flowers are pointed at the tip. The 4 stamens are creamy white. 2 styles. Pollinated by flies and beetles. Fruit: A brown, 2-sectioned fruit with hooked hairs. Leaves: The leaves are stalkless, dark green and with rough edges. They appear in whorls of 4 up the stem. Each opposite pair of leaves are of differing lengths. This is the only white bedstraw in Great Britain with 3-veined leaves. Each leaf measures up to 2 inches (5cm) long and 0.25 inches wide. The erec...

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Clustered Bellflower

Flower: A compact clustered flowerhead of violet-blue, unstalked, bell-shaped or star-shaped flowers. The petals are blunt-tipped and curve outwards. A faint dark violet vein runs through the centre of each petal. Flowers are occasionally solitary where they are sometimes mistaken for a Gentian, however Gen... Fruit: The fruit is a many-seeded capsule. Leaves: Dark green, narrow, lance-shaped leaves (or slightly heart-shaped), half clasping the stem. The leaves alternate along the stems on both sides. The lower leaves are triangular and stalked. Occasionally seen as a garden escape species. Perennial and clump-forming.

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