Wild Flowers Kingdom

Yellow Rattle

2011-07-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

This partially parasitic plant derives water and minerals from the adjoining root systems of grasses. The small, rather squat, yellow flowers have two lips, with tiny violet teeth on the upper lip. The calyx is extremely inflated and, when ripe and dry, the enclosed capsule and its seeds rattle when moved by the wind. The narrow leaves are dark green.

LEAVES : Opposite, lance-shaped, unstalked.

PLANT HEIGHT : 20–40cm.

FLOWERING TIME : May–August.

FRUIT : Round capsule, with a short beak, enclosing winged seeds.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.3–1.5cm long.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Yellow Archangel ; Common Cow-wheat.

Yarrow

2011-06-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yarrow may form large drifts of white flowers among the dry grasses of late summer. The erect stems are very tough and hairy. Numerous small flowers are borne in flattopped clusters, and are usually white but may be tinged with pink.

The yellow anthers soon turn brown, making the flowers look rather dirty. The dark green leaves are very finely divided and have a strong and pungent aroma. In the past, they were traditionally used to flavour liqueurs.

LEAVES : Alternate, feathery, divided into many fine segments; aromatic when crushed.

PLANT HEIGHT : 40–80cm.

FLOWERING TIME : July–October.

FRUIT : Achenes with no pappus.

FLOWER SIZE : 4–6mm wide.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Wild Carrot, which has umbels of numerous flowers; Sneezewort, which has narrow, toothed leaves.

Yellow Bird’s-nest

2011-06-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

This extraordinary plant is a saprophyte, drawing its nutrients from a tangled root system (said to resemble a bird’s nest) that feeds on decaying vegetable matter in the soil. The leaves are scales lying close to the stem, and the flowers are a cluster of tubular bells, each with four or five petals. The stems become upright when the fruit develops.

LEAVES : Alternate, oval scales; yellow or ivory.

PLANT HEIGHT : 8–20cm.

FLOWERING TIME : June–August.

FRUIT : Rounded capsule, held in calyx that becomes upright as it develops.

FLOWER SIZE : 9–12mm long.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Toothwort, which has flowers in a one-sided spike.

Monkshood

2011-06-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

The tall spikes of hooded deep violet or blue flowers, resembling a monk’s cowl, are highly distinctive. However, they give little clue that Monkshood is a member of the buttercup family. Each flower has numerous stamens and five petal-like parts, the upper part larger and forming the characteristic hood. The large leaves, which are rounded in outline, are deeply divided into many narrow lobes.

The entire plant, particularly the root, is extremely poisonous. Monkshood is frequently grown in gardens and is used in floristry. Northern Wolfsbane, found in Scandinavia, is similar, but has violet or yellow flowers with a more tapered hood, and less deeply divided leaves.

LEAVES : Alternate, divided into 5–7 finely toothed lobes.

PLANT HEIGHT : 80–150cm.

FLOWERING TIME : June–September.

FRUIT : A group of follicles.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.5–2cm wide.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Meadow Clary, which has larger flowers and oval to oblong leaves; Northern Wolfsbane, which has a more tapered hood.

Common Dodder

2011-06-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

This leafless plant obtains its nutrients by parasitizing other plants, such as heather. It is instantly recognizable by the mass of twining, hair-like, red stems, which attach themselves to the host by tiny suckers. The pale pink flowers, each with five tiny petals and protruding red stamens, appear at intervals along the stems.

LEAVES : Tiny, inconspicuous scales.

PLANT HEIGHT : Up to 60cm.

FLOWERING TIME : June–October.

FRUIT : Small capsule, split transversely.

FLOWER SIZE : 3–4mm wide.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Greater Dodder, is larger, with thicker stems, and is parasitic on nettles and thistles.

Red Valerian

2011-06-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

There is no missing this distinctive Red Valerian when it is in full flower throughout most of the summer months, particularly as it clings to the walls of an ancient castle or monument. It is native to the Mediterranean and is now a popular garden plant. It has thick, erect stems, often branched at the top.
The waxy leaves, in opposite pairs, clasp the stem. The numerous flowers in clusters arise from the leaf bases and are notable not only for their unequally lobed petals, but also for the very long corolla-tube with a spur at the base. The flowers are usually deep red, but pink and white forms are also common.

LEAVES : Opposite, oval, fleshy, and usually untoothed, clasping the stem; grey-green.

PLANT HEIGHT : 50–80cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 8–12mm long.

FRUIT : One-seeded nut with a feathery pappus.

FLOWERING TIME : July–September.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Common Valerian , which has pinnate leaves and prefers damp habitats.

Germander Speedwell

2011-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

The flowers of Germander Speedwell are an exceptionally deep and vivid blue, with a contrasting white “eye” in the centre and two divergent protruding stamens. The flower stalks are produced from the base of hairy, stalkless leaves. Close examination of the hairy stems reveals that the hairs are in two neat, opposite rows.

LEAVES : Opposite, oval, coarsely toothed, and unstalked.

PLANT HEIGHT : 20–40cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 9–12mm wide.

FLOWERING TIME : March–July.

FRUIT : Small heart-shaped capsules.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Common Field Speedwell has flowers with a white petal.

Red Helleborine

2011-06-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

The pinkish red flowers of this elegant, rather uncommon orchid, brighten the woods and copses it inhabits. The sepals and petals are alike, finely tapered to a point, the lateral sepals spreading like wings. The central lip has very fine yellow markings. The alternate, pale green leaves are narrow and tapered, each folded along its length.
PLANT HEIGHT : 40–60cm.

FLOWER SIZE : Lower lip 1.7–2.2cm long.

FLOWERING TIME : June–July.

LEAVES : Alternate, long, with central fold.

FRUIT : Capsule containing many tiny seeds.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Dark Red Helleborine has darker, more clustered flowers and broader leaves.

Branched Bur-reed

2011-06-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

The stiff, erect, strap-shaped leaves of Branched Bur-reed, are difficult to distinguish from those of other similar plants found on the edges of ponds, such as irises and bulrush. The flowers, however, are distinctive. The branched flowering stem has a number of yellow-green spherical female flowerheads ranged along it, and above those are the smaller male flowerheads in spikes, with attractive white anthers. As the fruit is formed, the female flowerheads swell to become a spiky ball or bur. The plant spreads with the aid of rhizomes.

LEAVES : Basal, strap-shaped and stiff, usually erect, although some ribbon-like leaves float on water surface.

PLANT HEIGHT : 80–150cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1–2cm wide.

FRUIT : Single-seeded drupe, borne on the female bur.

FLOWERING TIME : June–August.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Sweet Flag, Yellow Flag , Reed Mace have different flowers; Unbranched Bur-reed.

Bogbean

2011-06-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Bogbean is unmistakable when seen en masse, with its white blossoms dotted over the surface of acid bog pools. The flowers appear in a loose cluster on a single stem. Rosy-pink in bud, the fully open flowers are white, each petal with an extraordinary fringe of long white hairs that give the flower a fluffy appearance. Rising up out of the water, the rather fleshy, trifoliate leaves have elliptical leaflets and are reminiscent of those of a garden bean.

LEAVES : Basal, in three elliptical leaflets rising above water surface, fleshy and bean-like.

PLANT HEIGHT : 10–35cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.4–1.6cm wide.

FRUIT : Egg-shaped capsule that splits into two halves when ripe.

FLOWERING TIME : April–June.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Water Violet , which has no aerial leaves and has pinkish lilac flowers.

Pale Flax

2011-06-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Although the flowers of Pale Flax have five petals, they are often seen with fewer in the afternoon, for after midday these begin to fall off. They are a delicate lilac shade with violet veins, and form a flat or saucer-shaped flower. The slender, erect stems bear just a few stalkless, linear leaves, which have one or three veins.

LEAVES : Alternate, linear, untoothed.

PLANT HEIGHT : 30–60cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.6–2.4cm wide.

FRUIT : Rounded capsule, 4–6mm wide, with a small beak at the top.

FLOWERING TIME : May–September.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Flax, which has deep blue flowers.

Lords and Ladies

2011-06-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

The arrow-shaped leaves of Lords and Ladies are a deep green colour. They are often, though not always, spotted with dark blotches, and have a wrinkled surface. A large yellowgreen bract (spathe) pushes up from the base of the plant and unfurls to reveal the club-shaped, brown flower spike (spadix).

This is warm and scented to attract flies down to the true flowers, which are hidden in the bulge below. The green parts of the plant die off but the flowers remain to form berries in late summer, which brighten from green to orange-red.

LEAVES : Basal, arrow-shaped and wrinkled; dark green, often with dark blotches.

FLOWER SIZE : Spathe 10–20cm long.

FLOWERING TIME : ;April–May.

PLANT HEIGHT : 15–35cm.

FRUIT : Red berries.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Bog Arum is smaller; Large Cuckoo Pint has white-veined leaves and a larger spike of berries.

Purple Milk-vetch

2011-06-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

The peaflowers clustered on the long, erect stalks of this plant are worth a close look. The violet or purple standard petal and the central white keel petal are flushed pink. Blunt, neatly divided leaves are ladder-like and covered in dense hairs, with a pair of small stipules joined at the bases.

LEAVES : Alternate, pinnate.

PLANT HEIGHT : 10–35cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.5–1.8cm long.

FRUIT : Dark brown swollen pods, 7–8mm long, covered with white hairs.

FLOWERING TIME ; May–July.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Alpine Milk-vetch has loosely clustered flowers.

Common Lousewort

2011-06-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

This tufted, compact plant has densely crowded leaves and flowers. The flowers of Common Lousewort are pale pink, each with a three-lobed lower lip and a hooded upper lip, emerging from a papery calyx that expands in fruit. The leaves are divided into small, “frilly” leaflets with crisped edges.

LEAVES : Alternate, pinnately lobed, fern-like.

PLANT HEIGHT : 10–25cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 2–2.5cm long.

FRUIT : Capsule in the inflated, hairless calyx.

FLOWERING TIME : April–July.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Red Bartsia; Marsh Lousewort, which has longer leaves.

Yellow Flag

2011-06-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

A marsh-loving iris, Yellow Flag often grows among other plant species with similar tall, strap-shaped leaves. It may be identified by its base, where the flat leaves grow one inside another, layered to form a chevron pattern. The leaves of Yellow Flag are sword-shaped and bright grey-green, each with a slightly raised midrib.

LEAVES : Basal, sword-shaped; bright grey-green.

PLANT HEIGHT : 1–1.5m.

FLOWER SIZE : 7–10cm wide.

FRUIT : Three-parted capsule that splits to reveal hard, irregular orangebrown seeds.

FLOWERING TIME : June–August.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Sweet Flag has tiny flowers; Branched Burreed; Stinking Iris , yellow form, is smaller.

There is no mistaking the showy, brilliant yellow iris flowers. Each is composed of three fall petals with faint brown markings, supported by a green leaf-like spathe, and three erect standard petals that ar smaller, narrower, and unmarked. The large, oblong, drooping fruit capsule dries and splits to reveal neat ranks of orange-brown seeds, a little like niblets of maize.

Greater Bladderwort

2011-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Greater Bladderwort, extraordinary insectivorous aquatic plant, has numerous thread-like leaves that float in the water. Minute sacs are attached to these, each with a microscopic “trap-door” operated by a hair-like trigger. Tiny crustacea and other pondlife that touch the trigger hairs are inadvertently sucked into the sacs as the “trap-doors” open, where they are digested by the plant. The two-lipped flowers of Greater Bladderwort are bright yellow, with red markings, and are borne on long stalks held above the water surface. The plant may exist for many years without flowering.

LEAVES : Mass of threads.

PLANT HEIGHT : Flowerstalk 10cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.2–1.8cm wide.

FRUIT : Rounded capsule.

FLOWERING TIME : July–August.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Lesser Bladderwort , which has much smaller flowers. There are other Utricularia species that may only be identified by microscopic examination.

Mistletoe

2011-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Mistletoe is a evergreen plant, long associated with Christmas, is easily spotted in winter, as its almost spherical form is clearly visible in the bare branches of trees. It is semiparasitic on its host tree. The small green flowers are less noticeable than the round white berries, whose seeds are distributed by birds.

LEAVES : Opposite and paired, resembling rabbits’ ears, leathery, with smooth margins.

PLANT HEIGHT : Up to 2m wide.

FLOWER SIZE : Inconspicuous.

FRUIT : Berries, 6–10mm wide, borne at the fork of stems.

FLOWERING TIME : February–April.

SIMILAR SPECIES : None.

Garlic Mustard

2011-06-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

The large, triangular leaves of Garlic Mustard appear in early spring. The four-petalled white flowers are borne at the stem tips, in clusters that seem small for the size of the plant. The flowering stem elongates as the long seed pods develop. When crushed, the leaves have a distinct smell of garlic, which is unusual outside the onion family. They can be used for flavouring food, but also give a tang to milk if eaten by cows. The whole plant has many medicinal uses.

LEAVES : Alternate, triangular to heart-shaped, toothed and stalked.

PLANT HEIGHT : 40–120cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 3–5mm wide.

FRUIT : Seed pods (siliquas), 2–7cm long, splitting lengthwise when dry.

FLOWERING TIME : April–June.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Dame’s-violet , which has long, finely toothed leaves.

Marsh Cinquefoil

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

The short-stalked leaves of Marsh Cinquefoil are pinnately divided into 5–7 serrated leaflets. The distinctive flower has prominent, deep maroon or purplish sepals; the crimson petals are much smaller. The central core of immature achenes is surrounded by dark stamens.

LEAVES : Alternate, 5–7 oblong, serrated leaflets with papery stipules at leaf stalk base.

PLANT HEIGHT : 30–50cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 2–3cm wide.

FRUIT : Head of achenes surrounded by persistent calyx.

FLOWERING TIME : May–July.

SIMILAR SPECIES : None.

Fragrant Orchid

2011-06-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

Fragrant Orchid’s densely packed flowering spikes vary in size, but always have a delicate vanilla scent. Each pink, sometimes lilac, flower has a lower lip with three small, round lobes, wing-like sepals at either side, and a long, slender curving spur drooping down behind. The linear leaves are bright green, without any spots or markings, and are grooved along the middle.

LEAVES : Alternate, simple, and linear.

PLANT HEIGHT : 20–40cm.

FLOWER SIZE : Lower lip 4–6mm long.

FRUIT : Capsule containing many tiny seeds.

FLOWERING TIME : June–July.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Pyramidal Orchid , which has shorter, more conical flower spikes of a darker colour.

Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid

2011-06-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

LEAVES : Alternate, oval to elliptical, bluish green and deeply spotted.

PLANT HEIGHT : 30–75cm.

FLOWER SIZE : Lower lip 9–10mm long.

FRUIT : Capsule containing many tiny seeds.

FLOWERING TIME : May–July.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Common Spotted Orchid , which has narrower leaves; Northern Marsh Orchid, which is shorter, with similar flowers but unspotted leaves.
Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid belongs to a group of closely related species, including Early Marsh Orchid (D. incarnata) and Lapland Marsh Orchid (D. lapponica). These are usually separated by their range, but hybridize freely where ranges overlap, making identification difficult. Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid has a leafy stem, with broad, bluish-green leaves, sometimes covered with dark brown spots. The flowers have upward-spreading sepals, and long bracts between the flowers. The lower lip of each has toothed side-lobes with dark markings, and a short, unmarked central lobe. D. incarnata has pale leaves without spots, while D. lapponica has spotted leaves.

Devil’s-bit Scabious

2011-06-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Entire meadows may be coloured purple by swathes of Devil’s-bit Scabious in late summer. The flowers are generally darker than other scabious species, and form a rounded rather than flat-topped head. Each tubular floret of Devil’s-bit Scabious is the same in shape and size, without larger petals on the outside. When in bud, the flowerhead is like a collection of green or purple beads but later, when the flowers open and the stamens protrude, it comes to resemble a pincushion.

LEAVES : Basal leaves, lance-shaped with prominent white midrib; stem leaves opposite and toothed.

PLANT HEIGHT : 50–100cm.

FLOWER SIZE : Flowerhead 1.5–2cm wide.

FRUIT : One-seeded achene.

FLOWERING TIME : July–October.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Sheep’s-bit , which does not have protruding stamens; Round-headed Rampion , which has curved florets.

Broad-leaved Pondweed

2011-06-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

LEAVES : Opposite, broad above water; long and narrow underwater.

PLANT HEIGHT : Water surface, to 1m deep.

FLOWER SIZE : 3–4mm wide.

FRUIT : Four small nutlets, each 3–4mm long.

FLOWERING TIME : May–September.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Frogbit , which has white flowers; Amphibious Bistort.

The broad leaves of this aquatic plant, Broad-leaved Pondweed, appear to be hinged at the base, enabling them to float flat on the water surface, while longer, narrower leaves are submerged. The tiny green flowers, which have no petals, are borne in short spikes held above the water. Unusually for a water plant, they are wind-pollinated; contact with water sterilizes the pollen.

Grass of Parnassus

2011-06-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

The solitary flowers of Grass of Parnassus meadow plant have five white petals with greenish veins and a characteristic and unusual arrangement of branched staminodes surrounding the true stamens. Most of the leaves are basal and heart-shaped, on long stalks, but there is also a single leaf that clasps the stem. The fruit is a single capsule which contains many seeds.

LEAVES : Basal, heart-shaped, with a single clasping stem leaf.

PLANT HEIGHT : 10–30cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 1.5–3cm wide.

FRUIT : Capsule that splits into four.

FLOWERING TIME : June–September.
SIMILAR SPECIES : Meadow Saxifrage , which has lobed, toothed leaves.

Hound’s-tongue

2011-06-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

LEAVES : Alternate, lance-shaped.

PLANT HEIGHT : 40–70cm.

FLOWER SIZE : 6–10mm wide.

FRUIT : Four nutlets, with hooked bristles.

FLOWERING TIME : May–August.

SIMILAR SPECIES : Green Hound’s-tongue, which has hairs only on mthe undersides of its leaves.

Hound’s-tongue is a roughly hairy plant, with soft, hairy, greyish green leaves with a coarse texture. It forms a distinct tuft, sending up long branching cymes that uncoil to reveal a row of five-petalled, very dark crimson or dull purplish flowers, which have a characteristic smell of mice. Four large, bristly nutlets are squeezed tightly into the outspread calyx.