Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Flower: Violet-blue flowers in leafy clusters. The mauve-coloured stamens are prominent. Flowers measure between 9 and 12mm across. Fruit: Ridged nutlets. Leaves: A hairy, creeping perennial with upright stems and rough, heart-shaped leaves. The large leaves are stalked and have a sandpaper-like texture. A garden escape species which sometimes naturalises in the wild in the UK.

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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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Spineless Acaena

Flower: Globular, petalless flowers. Fruit: Globular fruits usually spiny but often without spines. Leaves: A mat-forming perennial garden escape species. The pinnate leaves are purplish and feathery. Leaflets are toothed.

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Winter Aconite

Flower: Cup-shaped flowers, up to 3cm wide. The flowers have large, deeply cut, leafy bracts at their bases. Fruit: Follicles which contain the seeds. Leaves: A perennial with deeply cut, glossy, hairless basal leaves. Throughout the British Isles, Winter Aconite is most common in the east of England and Scotland.

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Common Agrimony

Flower: The flowers of Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) found in the UK are small and yellow, arranged in elongated spikes on slender stems. Each individual flower consists of five petals and has a delicate, cup-shaped appearance. The flowers bloom in clusters and are known for their bright, cheerful y... Fruit: The fruit of Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) found in the UK is composed of small, burr-like structures containing seeds. These fruits typically develop after the flowering period. They have a rough or prickly exterior, designed with hooks that easily attach to fur or clothing, aiding in the d... Leaves: The leaves of Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) found in the UK are compound and alternately arranged along the stem. Each leaf is composed of smaller leaflets arranged in a feather-like or pinnate pattern. The leaflets are serrated along the edges, providing a distinctive appearance. The surfac...

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Bastard Agrimony

Flower: The yellow flowers appear together in clusters. Each flower measures from 7 to 10mm across. Fruit: A roundish fruit. Unlike Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) and Fragrant Agrimony (Agrimonia procera), the fruit is without bristles. Leaves: A sprawling perennial. The leaves are trefoil and toothed. Scotland only, mainly around Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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Grey Alder

Flower: Pendulous, red-brown and becoming yellow later (male catkins). Red, erect and cylindrical (female catkins). Male and female catkins present on same tree. Fruit: Wooded cones which persist on the tree throughout winter months. Leaves: Deciduous. Hairy, ovate and pointed, glossy, grey beneath.

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Alexanders

Flower: Yellow-green umbel. Fruit: Globular, ridged, turning black on ripening. Leaves: Yellowish-green bluntly toothed, divided and glossy.

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Green Alkanet

Flower: The flowers of Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) are an intense, vivid blue in color, shaped like a star, and they typically bloom in clusters. These flowers are notably attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies due to their nectar-rich nature. Each individual flower consists of... Fruit: The fruit of Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) is typically small and nut-like, known as a nutlet. These nutlets develop after the flowering period and contain seeds. They are often dark in colour and quite small, each containing the potential to produce a new plant if they find suitable con... Leaves: The leaves of Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) are elongated and rough in texture, often hairy and lance-shaped. They have pronounced veins and are arranged alternately along the stems. The leaves resemble those of the forget-me-not, having a coarse texture and covered in tiny, stiff hairs,...

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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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Four-leaved Allseed

Flower: The flowers are very small and appear inside forked heads. Fruit: The fruit is a near spherical capsule, just over 1mm in size. Leaves: A many-branched, hairless, winter annual plant with small oval to spoon-shaped leaves, in groups of 4 along the stems. Grows in sandy soils. In Britain, Four-leaved Allseed is most likely to be encountered on the Scilly Isles.

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Green Amaranth

Flower: The flowers appear inside erect, terminal spikes, tassel-like in appearance. 5 pink sepals. Wind pollinated. Fruit: The fruit is a dry seed. Leaves: A hairless, yellowish-green plant similar in appearance to Common Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) but with shorter, looser tassels. The leaves are oval and pointed. Annual. A garden escape, infrequently naturalised.

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Common Amaranth

Flower: The inflorescence is a dense, tassel-like terminal spike. 5 sepals, no petals. Wind pollinated. Fruit: The fruit is a capsule, up to 2mm long. Black seeds. Seeds ripen from August to October. Leaves: A downy, greyish-green annual plant with pointed oval leaves. Short-stalked. Leaves measure up to 15cm (6 inches) long.

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Garden Anchusa

Flower: Tiny clusters of tubular, violet-blue flowers. Pollinated by bees. Fruit: The fruit is a small nutlet, 2 to 4mm across in size. The seeds ripen from July to September. Leaves: A clump-forming, bristly perennial plant with hairy, lance-shaped leaves. The stems are erect and branching. Garden escape species.

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Garden Angelica

Flower: Yellowish-green flowers, appearing in rounded umbels measuring 5 to 7cm across. 5 stamens per flower. Pollinated by insects. Fruit: Oval, flattened fruits with corky wings, measuring 6 to 8mm long. The seeds ripen in August and September. Leaves: An erect perennial with 2 to 3-pinnate leaves. Each leaf measure up to 60cm (24 inches) in length. Hollow, green stems (occasionally purple). Biennial.

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