Pennywort / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Pennywort is a perennial, flowering plant and is part of the Stonecrop family. It’s edible and is a great plant for beginners as it has few lookalikes Common Names Pennywort, Navelwort, Wall Pennywort, Penny Pies, Botanical Name Umbilicus rupestris…
Category: Plant identification
Wild Gooseberry / Summer / Edible Wild Gooseberry is a thorny shrub or bush, up to 1.5 metres high. It’s difficult to know whether the plants you find are truly wild or if they are feral. Gooseberries were cultivated a lot in the past. Common Names Wild Gooseberry, European Gooseberry,…
Walnut / All year round / Edible A deciduous, broadleaf tree, it was introduced to the UK by the Romans. Common Names      Walnut, English Walnut, Persian Walnut, Common Walnut Botanical Name Juglans regia Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Fagales Family – Juglandaceae Physical Characteristics for Walnut Leaves The…
Reedmace (Bulrush) / All Year / Edible I often find reedmace around golf courses, the big cigar tops sat on shoots are the most obvious way to see them. There’s a couple of good edible parts to enjoy. Scientific name Typha latifolia Family Typhaceae (Reedmace) Habitat Often in large clumps…
Lesser Celandine / Spring /Leaves and flowers are edible when cooked Lesser Celandine is one of those plants you’ll see almost everywhere in spring, carpeting woodland floors with vibrant flowers. Scientific name Ranunculus ficaria or Ficaria verna Family Ranunculacea (Buttercup) Habitat Habitat: Hedge banks, roadsides, river and stream banks and…
Broom /Spring / Summer/ Flowers, Buds and Seeds Edible, other parts Toxic Broom is the less aggressive little brother to gorse, the two look similar and both have some nice edible and medicinal parts. Scientific name Cytius scoparius/Sarothamnus scoparius Family Leguminosae/Fabaceae (Pea) Habitat Habitat: Prefers sandy, dry acid soils. Roadsides,…
Sea Holly / All Year Round / Edible Sea Holly is one of those plants that from looking at it and touching it you wouldn’t imagine it was edible one bit, it has sharps spikes on it but once you get past them there are some tasty bits to enjoy.…
Calamint / Spring /Summer / Autumn / Edible Scientific name Clinopodium ascendens Family Labiatae (Mint) Habitat Dry, grassy areas on woodlands edges or paths, hedgebanks, scrub, road verges, usually on alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade and prefers dry or moist soil. Distribution Up to 380m. In…
Redcurrant / Summer / Edible Redcurrant is an easy to identify member of the Gooseberry family with edible fruits. Common Names Redcurrant, Red currant Botanical Name Ribes rubrum Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Saxifragales Family – Grossulariaceae Physical Characteristics for Redcurrant Leaves The leaves are palmate, with 3-5…
Spindle / Summer / Autumn / Toxic Spindle is a fairly common shrub or small tree, one of the indictors of an ancient woodland but consumption can lead to death. Common Names Spindle, European spindle, Common spindle Botanical Name Euonymus europaeus Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Celastrales Family…