Common Bulrush

Flower: Tiny and densely packed, forming a chocolate-coloured sausage-shaped spike. Fruit: Fruits are minute. They are produced from the female flowers and are covered in fluffy down. Leaves: Stalkless, long-sheathed, alternate leaves which are mainly produced at the bottom of the stem. Pale blue-green and linear.

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London Bur-marigold

Flower: The branching stems have 1 to 3 orange-yellow flowerheads. The inner bracts which surrounds the yellow centre of the flower are brownish and oval. The leafy outer bracts are narrowly elliptical and unequal in size. The outer bracts are 2 or 3 times as long as the flowerhead itself. Fruit: Oblong, dark brown or dark purple fruit, not flattened as in the similar looking Trifid Bur-marigold (Bidens tripartita). There are 2 to 4 hooked awns at one end of the fruit. Leaves: The broadly lance-shaped, toothed leaves are usually in opposite pairs going up the stem. Some of the upper leaves are alternate along the stems. Leaf blades measure up to 6 inches (15cm) long and 1.5 inches (4cm) wide. Smooth, green, purple-tinged, erect stems. Annual.

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Buttonweed

Flower: The flowers of Buttonweed are small and button-like, with a distinct yellow hue. They are clustered together, creating a visually striking appearance. The plant's flowering structure adds a touch of vibrancy to its surroundings, forming clusters of these yellow button-like blooms. The overall effect... Fruit: The fruit of Buttonweed is composed of small, rounded seeds. These seeds are typically encapsulated within the mature flower head, contributing to the distinctive button-like appearance. The fruiting structure is modest in size and complements the overall low-growing and spreading nature of the plan... Leaves: The leaves of Buttonweed are green, fleshy, and characterized by distinct lobes. They emit a distinctive odor when crushed. The leaves are arranged densely along the stems, contributing to the plant's low-growing and mat-forming habit. This foliage, with its lobed structure, adds to the overall appe...

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Triangular Club-rush

Flower: Reddish-brown, egg-shaped spikelets within branched clusters. Smaller clusters than those of the similar looking Common Club-rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris). Fruit: The fruit is a brown, 3-sided nutlet. Leaves: Leafless stems. Similar to Common Club-rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris) but has 3-sided stems. Perennial.

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Common Cord-grass

Flower: Overlapping spikelets in 2 rows of the grass stem. Fruit: Seeds, but only present on one side of the flower stalk. Leaves: Yellow-green pointed leaf blades, up to 45cm long and 1.5cm wide. Clustered at the base and alternate up the stems. The leaves are entire and often with their margins rolled inwards.

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Small Cord-grass

Flower: 2 or 3 spikes, shorter than those of the very similar looking Common Cord-grass (Spartina anglica). The flowers turn brown by wintertime. Flowers appear on both sides of the stem. Fruit: The fruit is a caryopsis. Leaves: A perennial species with green or purplish leaves, turning light brown in autumn and winter. The leaves are narrower than those of Common Cord-grass, up to 1cm wide and 40cm long, tapering to a point.

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Smooth Cord-grass

Flower: Yellowish-green flowers, slowly fading to brown later in the year. Spikelets are one-flowered and appear in clusters of 3 to 6 erect narrow spikes. The uppermost spike ends in a long bristle. Fruit: The fruit is a caryopsis which is a kind of dry, one-seeded fruit. Leaves: Long, linear, yellowish-green leaves which are 1.5cm (0.5 inches) broad at their bases, tapering into a point at their ends.

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Common Eelgrass

Flower: Inconspicuous branched flower spikes. Water pollinated. Fruit: The fruit is a bladder-like nutlet with a transparent casing. Inside is the seed. Leaves: An aquatic perennial with dark green, linear leaves. Rarely found in estuaries.

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Narrow-leaved Eelgrass

Flower: Branched inflorescence, up to 10cm long. The flowers are green and minute. There are no petals. Fruit: A bladder-like nutlet which contains the seed. Leaves: Grass-like leaves, up to 30cm long and 2mm wide. 3 to 5 veins and notched at the tip. Similar in appearance to Common Eelgrass (Zostera marina) but the leaves are narrower. Perennial.

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Dwarf Eelgrass

Flower: Unbranched flower spikes with minute, green flowers. Smooth, white seeds, up to 2mm long. Fruit: Bladder-like fruit. Leaves: Narrow, ribbon-shaped, 3-veined leaves, up to 20cm long and 1mm wide. The leaves are notched at their tips.

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Common Glasswort

Flower: Tiny, green, yellow anthers, usually in groups of 3 up the stem, the central one being the largest. Fruit: Succulent, fleshy one-seeded fruit. Leaves: This plant looks a lot like asparagus in my personal opinion. The translucent leaves consist of many succulent, scale-like segments. They are arranged in opposite pairs, fused to envelop the stems. The green leaves sometimes turn red or yellow later in the year once in fruit. This plant has creeping...

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Long-spiked Glasswort

Flower: Minute, green flowers. Yellow anthers. Fruit: Succulent, fleshy one-seeded fruit. Leaves: The convexed stem segments many-branched. Dull green, becoming yellowish-brown or purple later in the year.

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Shiny Glasswort

Flower: Flowers are minute and inconspicuous. Yellow anthers. Fruit: A succulent, fleshy one-seeded fruit. Leaves: Shiny Glasswort is few branched and erect. The foliage turns brown, purple, red or orange later in the season.

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Yellow Glasswort

Flower: The flowers are very tiny and inconspicuous. Yellow anthers. The branches have 3 flowers per segment. One-flowered Glasswort which is a similar species only has 1 flower per segment. Fruit: The fruit is fleshy and one-seeded. Leaves: The foliage is a brighter green than most other glasswort species. Sometimes purple-tinged. The branches are erect.

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Saltmarsh Goosefoot

Flower: Tightly packed clusters of green flowers. Fruit: The fruit is a shiny and oval. Leaves: Alternate, hairless, short-stalked leaves. Similar in appearance to Red Goosefoot (Chenopodium rubrum) but the leaves are smaller, more triangular and not as well toothed. Only found on the coast.

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