Foraging Plants Guide

Plants & Trees provide us with some many foraging possibilities it really makes the mind boggle. From utilising roots for making coffee or flowers for making herbal medicine, the list is endless.

We want to make sure you’re safe when out foraging and as such we’ve put together this range of plant and tree foraging identification guides.

These guides can be used to help you develop and are best used alongside some hands-on learning which we can help you with on one of our wild food and foraging courses.

The information provided below is made to act as a guide, when foraging for yourself you are ultimately in control of what you do and eat. Remember to only eat what you’re 100% certain of.

If there are any extra guides you’d like to see made or updated then please let us know by getting in touch here.

If you'd like to learn more why not join us on a Foraging Course

We Cover Plants, Trees, Mushrooms and Seaweeds and run throughout the UK

Use the search bar below to search for something very specific you’re looking for and it will display everything we have linked to that. For example I’m looking for information of Douglas Fir – if I type it in below I’ll get identification guides, recipes and any other posts linked to it.

Or you can use the tabs below to see our entire catalogue of just identification guides. They are separated into: Plants & Trees, Mushrooms & Seaweeds. These are arranged in Alphabetical order and there are quick links at the top of the guides to look for something specific a bit more clearly. We truly hope that they’re useful to you 🙂

5 of the most toxic berries found in the UK In summer and autumn time the hedgerows and woods of the UK really come alive with colour, berries of almost every conceivable colour appear, but how do you know which ones are good to eat and which to avoid? As…

5 of the most toxic berries found in the UK

Alexanders / spring / summer / autumn / winter / edible How to Identify Alexanders Common Names: Alexanders, horse parsley, alisanders and smyrnium. Botanical Name: Smyrnium Olusatrum Meaning of Botanical Name: Smyrnuim indicates the plants distinct myrrh-like aromatics. While Olusatrum comes from Olus meaning garden herb and Atrum from…

Alexanders (Smyrnium Olusatrum) Identification

Angelica / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible A common, annual and edible member of the Carrot or Umbellifer family. It’s not the easiest plant to ID as its leaves look a little like Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) so care must be taken. Common Names Angelica, Wild Angelica…

Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) Foraging Guide

Common Names Ash, Common Ash, European Ash. Botanical Name Fraxinus excelsior Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Lamiales Family – OleaceaeGenus – Fraxinus Known Hazards None known. Could be Confused with… Rowan or elder but elder has fewer leaflets and rowan’s leaves are serrated. Habitat One of the most…

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) Identification

BEECH / SPRING / SUMMER / AUTUMN / EDIBLE COMMON NAMES Common Beech, European Beech BOTANICAL NAME Fagus sylvatica SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom – Plantae Order – Fagales Family – Fagaceae Genus – Fagus KNOWN HAZARDS There is some evidence to suggest that they shouldn’t be eaten in large quantities as…

Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Identification

Black Bryony / Summer / Toxic A toxic member of the Yam family, it’s quite a common sight in summer and autumn, all parts are poisonous. It’s a climber and can grow up to 4m each year. Common Names Black Bryony, Lady’s-seal or Black bindweed Botanical Name Dioscorea communis or…

Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis) Identification Guide

Black Mustard / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Common and Latin Names: Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) Harvest Season: Late Spring to Summer these plants will be out in flower, leaf and seed, sometimes with a small revival in early Autumn. Habitat: They have been cultivated widely, and therefore…

Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) Identification

Blackberry / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible How to Identify Blackberries and Brambles Common Names Blackberry, Brambles Latin Name Rubus Fruticosus Known Hazards The stem of this plant contains many thorns and spikes, it’s almost impossible to walk through brambles and it’s fairly common to catch or even…

Blackberry (Rubus Fruticosus) Identification

Blackcurrant / Summer / Edible An easy to identify member of the Gooseberry family with edible fruits. It’s a medium-sized shrub, growing up to 1.5m tall. Common Names Blackcurrant, Cassis Botanical Name Ribes nigrum Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Saxifragales Family – Grossulariaceae Physical Characteristics for Blackcurrant Leaves…

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) Identification Guide

Bluebells / Spring / Poisonous Common names Bluebell Botanical Name Hyacinthoides Nonscripta Known Hazards The whole plant is toxic Could be confused with Three cornered leek, Snow drops when young shoots are emerging Range and Distribution Fairly common throughout UK and Western Europe. Habitat Woodland garden in dappled shade, shady…

Bluebells (Hyacinthoides Nonscripta) Identification