Common Alder

Flower: Yellow and pendulous (male catkins). Green and oval (female catkins). Male and female catkins present on same tree, and grouped in clusters of 3-8 on each stalk. Fruit: In winter the catkins turn into hard, dark, cone-like fruit which eventually release the seeds. Leaves: Deciduous. Round, dark green, leathery, smooth, serrated edges.

[view all information]

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.

[view all information]

Scottish Asphodel

Flower: Small, greenish-white or yellowish-white flowers in a short but dense terminal spike. 6 petals (3 are actually sepals). 6 stamens. Fruit: A roundish, 3-parted, greyish capsule, up to 3mm long. The seeds are tiny. Leaves: Flattened, hairless, iris-like leaves. Most leaves are basal leaves. They are stalkless and toothless. Up to 3 alternate stem leaves. The leaves are 3 to 7-veined. The erect stems are flat and hairless. Perennial.

[view all information]

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...

[view all information]

White Beak-sedge

Flower: White Beak-sedge (Rhynchospora alba) features small, inconspicuous flowers with pale to creamy-colored petals, typically arranged in compact clusters or spikelets at the tips of its slender, grass-like stems. The flowers are delicate and often go unnoticed due to their subtle appearance, but they ad... Fruit: The fruit of White Beak-sedge consists of small, nut-like achenes. These achenes are typically dark brown or black and are attached to the plant's stem in clusters. They have a hard, seed-like shell and are dispersed by wind or water, contributing to the plant's reproductive cycle. Leaves: The leaves of White Beak-sedge are long, slender, and grass-like in appearance. They are typically dark green and have a linear shape. These leaves grow in dense tufts and arise from the base of the plant, forming an attractive clump. The leaves are typically smooth and narrow, adding to the overall...

[view all information]

Fen Bedstraw

Flower: Fen Bedstraw bears small, white, four-petalled flowers arranged in loose, open clusters. Flowering from June to September, each flower is typically 2–3 mm across and shaped like a cross, similar to Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre), but often with a slightly creamier or duller white tone. The flowers... Fruit: Its fruits are a pair of small, smooth nutlets—distinctively hairless, which helps distinguish it from the rough, bristly fruits of G. palustre. The nutlets are not sticky or hooked, so they are less likely to cling to animals. They are dispersed mainly by water movement in the fen and wet meadow en... Leaves: Leaves are narrow, pointed, and arranged in whorls of six to eight along the stems. They are dark green with tiny hairs along the edges and midrib, helping separate it from similar species. The stems are square in cross-section and weak, often sprawling among surrounding vegetation. Unlike the sligh...

[view all information]

Marsh Bedstraw

Flower: Marsh Bedstraw produces small, star-like white flowers from June to September. Each flower has four narrow petals arranged in a cross shape, giving a delicate, open appearance. The flowers grow in loose, branched clusters at the tips of stems and leaf axils. Though individually tiny—only 2–3 mm acro... Fruit: The fruit consists of a pair of tiny round nutlets, each with a rough surface and covered in hooked bristles that help them cling to passing animals or float in water. These ripen in late summer and autumn. This method of dispersal aids the plant’s spread through marshes, ditches, and boggy areas. Leaves: Leaves are narrow, lance-shaped, and arranged in whorls of four to six around the stem. They are smooth-edged, with a slightly glossy green surface, and lack the backward-pointing hooks seen in some other Galium species. The stems are weak and square in cross-section, often sprawling or scrambling o...

[view all information]

Great Marsh Bedstraw

Flower: The flowers are small and white, appearing together in clusters. The flowers are larger than those of Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre). Fruit: The fruit is a wrinkled nutlet. Leaves: The leaves are configured in whorls of 4 to 6. They have rough margins. The stems are without prickles. This is a perennial species, sometimes growing in water. It can be found throughout all parts of the British Isles.

[view all information]

Velvet Bent

Flower: Agrostis canina produces fine, delicate flower heads in the form of a narrow, open panicle, usually 4–12 cm long. The tiny spikelets (each about 2 mm long) are one-flowered, and unlike some other Agrostis species, the florets may or may not have an awn (bristle). The overall effect is a light, feath... Fruit: The fruit is a minute, dry grain (caryopsis), like in most grasses. It is dispersed via wind or surface movement, though reproduction is often more successful by rhizomes and stolons, which allow the plant to form dense, spreading mats. Fruiting typically follows flowering in late summer. Leaves: Leaves are very fine, narrow, and soft-textured, usually flat or slightly rolled. The leaf blades are up to 10 cm long, with a smooth upper surface and often a silky sheen. The ligule is long and pointed (up to 5 mm)—a key ID feature. Unlike some bent grasses, A. canina spreads via stolons and rhizo...

[view all information]

Bilberry

Flower: Bilberry produces small, urn-shaped flowers that are typically pale pink or greenish-pink, often with a hint of red. Each flower is about 4–6 mm long and hangs singly from the leaf axils. Flowering occurs from April to June, depending on elevation and location. The blooms are pollinated by bees, esp... Fruit: The fruit of Bilberry is a soft, round, dark blue to black berry with a purplish bloom, typically around 5–8 mm in diameter. Ripening from July to September, the berries are juicy and have a rich, tart flavour. They are edible and highly nutritious, packed with antioxidants. The berries stain finger... Leaves: Bilberry leaves are small, oval to lance-shaped, and finely toothed, with a fresh green colour that often turns red or bronze in autumn. The leaves are thin and slightly papery, arranged alternately along the green, angular stems. This low-growing shrub typically reaches 15–50 cm in height and is co...

[view all information]

Hedge Bindweed

Flower: Usually pure white but occasionally pink with 5 white stripes, up to 6cm, trumpet-shaped. Sepals often purple tinged and only half-covered by two large bracts. Often hybridizes with Hedge Bindweed making identification difficult. Fruit: A capsule which contains 1 to 4 seeds, rarely more than 1cm long. Leaves: Long stalked, arrow-shaped leaves and sharp-tipped, not hairy. The bases of the leaves have angled lobes.

[view all information]

Downy Birch

Flower: Male and female catkins appear on the same tree. Erect female catkins are shorter and green. Male catkins hang loosely in groups of 2-4. Often hybridizes with Silver Birch making identification tricky. Fruit: Small dry one-sided winged fruits, called 'achenes'. Leaves: Deciduous. Ovate, pointed and with serrated margins. Light green in spring, darkening and then turning yellow or orange in autumn. Leaves are often hairy underneath.

[view all information]

Silver Birch

Flower: Male yellow catkins hang loose, female catkins much shorter and erect. Often hybridizes with Downy Birch making identification somewhat difficult at times. Fruit: The female catkins develop hundreds of winged seeds as their fruit. Leaves: Deciduous. Stalked and triangular in shape with doubly serrated margins. Leaves turn yellow in autumn. Downy Birch leaves have got serrated margins only, not doubly serrated as with Silver Birch.

[view all information]

Dwarf Birch

Flower: Greenish-brown erect catkins, up to 1.5cm long. Smaller than the catkins of Downy Birch and Silver Birch. Wind pollinated. Fruit: The fruit is a small winged achene (a type of one-seeded, dry fruit). In fruit from July to September. Leaves: Small, round, hairless and deeply toothed. They are downy when young. Up to 1.5mm across. The leaves turn yellow, orange or red in autumn.

[view all information]

Large Bittercress

Flower: 4 white petals which are very occasionally purple, up to 12mm wide. Flowers clustering together at the top of the plant. 6 stamens, purple anthers. Fruit: Long, thin, flat seed pods that eventually split open lengthwise. Leaves: Without a basal rosette, as with Hairy Bittercress and Wavy Bittercress. The basal leaves are long-stalked and the upper stem leaves are very short-stalked. The leaves run alternate along the stem and have up to 5 paired leaflets, plus the terminal leaflet. The individual leaflets are elliptical in ...

[view all information]