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,…
Tag: edible
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…
Sordid Blewit / Summer / Autumn / Edible Scientific Name Lepista sordida Common Names Sordid Blewit, Dirty Blewit. Family Tricholomataceae Habitat They are saprotrophic, living off dead matter, they can be found in areas that collect lots of leaf litter in autumn, sometimes they appear in gardens and on compost…
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…
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…
Guelder Rose Other Common Names: Cramp bark tree, Crampbush Latin Name: Viburnum opulus Parts Used: Berries in food, bark in medicine. Physical Characteristics: A woody perennial shrub that can grow to 4m in height. Leaves The leaves, 5–10cm long, grow up the stem oppositely. They have three-lobes with serrated edges.…
Pheasant berry / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible A non-native member of the Honeysuckle family, it’s originally from China and the Himalaya’s and was introduced to the UK by the Victorians. The berries have a strong toffee like flavour. It’s a deciduous shrub-like plant. Common Names Pheasant berry,…
Wild Thyme / All Year Round / Edible Identification Guide for Wild Thyme  It’s a low lying member of the Mint family, it often grows in dense mats and can be used in place of cultivated Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Common Names Wild Thyme, Creeping Thyme Botanical Name Thymus…
Spruce / All year round / Edible Spruce is a naturalised, fast-growing, evergreen tree. Common Names      UK spruce, Norway spruce Botanical Name Picea abies Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Pinales Family – Pinaceae Physical Characteristics for Spruce Leaves The needles are stiff and sharp and grow individually, around…