Bog asphodel  (Narthecium ossifragum)

Bog asphodel produces bright yellow star-like flowers on leafless stems. On the damp heaths and peatbogs in which it is found, this is often the brightest show of colour around (4). The anthers are bright reddish-orange, and when the plants have finished flowering, the stems take on a deep saffron colour (5). The scientific name ossifragum means ‘bone breaker’ and refers to the old belief that after grazing on this plant the bones of sheep became brittle. This belief was mistaken, however, as bog asphodel was not the culprit; it was due to the calcium-deficient vegetation found in the habitats in which the plant grows (4). This plant has been used as a cheap substitute for saffron and as a dye. During the seventeenth century it was used as a hair dye by women in Lancashire (5).