Alexanders

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

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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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Goldilocks Aster

Flower: Loose, erect clusters of bright golden yellow flowers. They measure no larger than 1.8cm across. The yellow stigmas are prominent. Very late flowering. Fruit: The fruit is an achene. An achene is a type of dry, one-seeded fruit. Leaves: Numerous, linear, lance-shaped leaves. Unlike the similar looking Golden Samphire (Inula crithmoides), the leaves are not fleshy.

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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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Sea Beet

Flower: Sea Beet bears small, inconspicuous greenish flowers. These flowers are typically modest in size and bloom from late spring to early summer. The plant's flowering stems emerge from the glossy foliage, adding a subtle touch to its coastal habitat. While not known for flamboyant blossoms, Sea Beet's f... Fruit: The fruit of Sea Beet consists of small, rounded seed clusters encapsulated within fleshy, triangular structures known as bracts. These bracts often have a papery texture and can take on a reddish or purplish hue. The seeds are contained within these protective structures, and as the plant matures, ... Leaves: Sea Beet is characterized by its large, fleshy leaves, which have a glossy surface. The leaves are typically green but may display a red or purplish tinge, particularly on the stems. These leaves are edible, and when young, they are often harvested for culinary purposes, offering a taste reminiscent...

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Adria Bellflower

Flower: Many violet blue, bell-shaped flowers, each is 2cm in diameter. Adria Bellflower looks quite similar to Trailing Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) but is darker in colour. The flowers of Adria Bellflower also form a deeper bell. Pollinated by insects. Fruit: The fruit of Adria Bellflower typically consists of a dry, spherical capsule that contains tiny seeds. This capsule, when mature, will split open to release the seeds, allowing them to disperse and propagate the plant. Leaves: The leaves of Adria Bellflower are typically lance-shaped or elliptical, with a smooth, dark green appearance. They have a simple, alternate arrangement along the stem and may feature a slightly serrated or wavy edge. The leaves are typically medium-sized and are often covered in fine hairs, giving ...

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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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Sea Bindweed

Flower: The flowers of Sea Bindweed (Calystegia soldanella) are striking and distinctive, typically funnel-shaped and measuring 3-5 cm in diameter. They exhibit a delicate pink to purple hue with prominent white stripes running along the petals, creating a visually appealing contrast. Blooming from late spr... Fruit: The fruit of Sea Bindweed is a small, round capsule that develops after the plant's distinctive flowers have been pollinated. These capsules contain several seeds, which are black, smooth, and shiny. The seeds are dispersed primarily by wind and water, allowing the plant to colonize new areas along ... Leaves: The leaves of Sea Bindweed are notable for their unique shape and adaptation to coastal environments. They are kidney-shaped to rounded, often described as fleshy and waxy, which helps to reduce water loss in the sandy, saline habitats where the plant thrives. The leaves are arranged alternately alo...

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Cut-leaved Blackberry

Flower: Flowers can be white or pink. The petals are deeply cut into 3 lobes at their ends. Fruit: The fruit is a black berry. The fruits are similar in appearance to blackberry. Leaves: A scrambling, half-evergreen shrub with very easy to distinguish leaves. The leaves are deeply cut. Prickly stems. A garden escape species.

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Blackthorn

Flower: The flowers of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) are dainty and delicate. Each flower consists of five white petals with a slightly rounded tip. These petals form a small, star-shaped blossom that measures around 1 to 1.5 centimetres (0.4 to 0.6 inches) in diameter. The petals may have a faint hint of... Fruit: The fruit of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), known as "sloes," are small and dark purple-black in colour. They have a round or oval shape and measure approximately 1 to 1.5 centimetres (0.4 to 0.6 inches) in diameter. Sloes have a distinct, waxy coating that gives them a slightly dusty appearance. ... Leaves: The leaves of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) are oval in shape with finely serrated edges. They are glossy and vibrant green during the spring and summer, providing a lush backdrop for the plant's white blossoms. These leaves, arranged alternately along the branches, are around 2 to 4 centimeters l...

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Virgin's Bower

Flower: Star-shaped white flowers. Fruit: The fruit is a green achene which is a kind of dry, one-seeded fruit. The fluffy seedheads ripen from October to January. Pollinated by flies and bees. Leaves: A deciduous climber with dark green 2-pinnate leaves, similar in appearance to Traveller's Joy (Clematis vitalba). In leaf from March to November.

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Brookweed

Flower: Flower spikes (racemes). Each flower has an inward bending long stalk and is about 2 to 4mm across. The bend in the stalk has a tiny, pointed bract. Triangular but blunt-pointed sepals. Orange heart-shaped anthers. Yellow pollen. Fruit: Green globular fruit capsules containing many reddish-brown seeds. The seeds ripen from July to August. Leaves: A hairless, normally unbranched flower with pale green, fleshy, upright, spoon-shaped leaves. The oval leaves remain close to the stems. The basal leaves are the largest. The stem leaves are alternately positioned going up the stem. Deciduous, short-lived perennial. Most frequently found near the se...

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Spanish Broom

Flower: Bright yellow, pea-like flowers, up to 2.5cm long. Pollinated by insects. Fruit: Black pea-like pods which are hairy all over and up to 10cm long. The seeds ripen from August to October. Leaves: The leaves appear very sparsely on the rush-like shoots. The latin name 'junceum' means rush-like which is a reference to the stems of Spanish Broom. The leaves are a maximum of 3cm in length and up to 4mm wide.

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Butcher's Broom

Flower: Pale yellow or green flowers, up to 5mm across. Sometimes purple-spotted around the edges. The flowers grow out from the centre of the cladodes (see the section on leaf details). 3 petals and 3 sepals. Fruit: A red berry. The seeds are distributed by birds and ripen from August to March. Leaves: Butcher's Broom has no leaves. The leaf-like structures are actually flattened stems. These structures are called 'cladodes'. This plant is a low-growing evergreen shrub with oval cladodes that end in a sharp spiny point. Throughout the British Isles, Butcher's Broom is the most common in the south ...

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Bedstraw Broomrape

Flower: The flowers are yellowish and tinged purple. Purple, 2-lobed stigma. Downy stamens. Fruit: The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule, 1.2cm long. Leaves: Ovate to lance-shaped leaves, up to 2.5cm (1 inch) in length. Parasitic on Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album).

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