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British Plants and algae

Species 1 - 50 of 203 [ next ]

Adder's-tongue spearwort (Ranunculus ophioglossifolius)
Adder's-tongue spearwort is related to the buttercup, and an alternative name for it is the 'Badgeworth buttercup'. The Latin name... More	11 Images	0 Videos

Alchemilla (Alchemilla minima)
This plant has no common English name but belongs to the well-known lady's mantle family. It was only recognised as a separate... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
The ash is one of our tallest native trees. It has a fairly open crown, becoming oval or spherical in shape as it ages. The bark is... More	11 Images	1 Video

Atlantic lejeunea (Lejeunea mandonii)
This very small, rare plant is one of the 'leafy' liverworts, which forms thin yellow-green patches on rocks and other bryophytes... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Baltic bog moss (Sphagnum balticum)
This rare moss can grow whilst completely or partly submerged in water. It resembles several other members of the sphagnum moss... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Beaked beardless moss (Weissia rostellata)
Beaked beardless moss is a small moss that grows in tufts on damp soil and drying mud... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
The beech is a magnificent large tree with a broad crown, and very smooth greyish bark. There are typically many branches, which... More	21 Images	2 Videos

Bell heather (Erica cinerea)
Bell heather is a feature of dry heaths where it grows to heights of 60 centimetres. The small leaves are dark green in colour, and... More	9 Images	0 Videos

Bird’s-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
The humble and diminutive bird’s-foot-trefoil goes by a plethora of local names; Geoffrey Grigson, in ‘The Englishman’s... More	10 Images	2 Videos

Black poplar (Populus nigra)
Black poplar, thought to be Britain's most endangered native timber tree, has a wide, rounded crown and dark grey fissured bark... More	9 Images	0 Videos

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Blackthorn is a deciduous shrub that has long been popular in hedgerows because of its thorns. The beautiful white blossom tends to... More	9 Images	2 Videos

Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus)
Bladder wrack is a familiar large olive-brown coloured seaweed, which attaches to rocky substrates by means of a small disc. The... More	8 Images	1 Video

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
The bluebell, popularly thought of as Britain's national flower, is a bulbous spring flowering plant. When growing en masse... More	7 Images	4 Videos

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... More	8 Images	0 Videos

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)
Bogbean is an aquatic or bog plant, hence the common name. The ‘bean’ part of the name refers to the smooth-edged shiny leaves... More	8 Images	2 Videos

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
Bracken is a well-known deciduous fern; a species that has inspired a rich wealth of folklore in Britain. It is easy to recognise... More	12 Images	3 Videos

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Brambles form a complex group known as Rubus fruticosus agg. (short for aggregate), containing around 320 individual... More	12 Images	0 Videos

Branched bur-reed (Sparganium erectum)
Branched bur-reed is an aquatic emergent plant that grows rooted in the mud at the margins of waterbodies. The narrow, smooth and... More	7 Images	1 Video

Broad-fruited corn salad (Valerianella rimosa)
The Latin name Valerianella means 'little valerian', and refers to the fact that this genus is affiliated with the valerians... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Broad-leaved cudweed (Filago pyramidata)
Broad-leaved cudweed is a somewhat taller and more substantial plant than its close relative, red-tipped cudweed. It, too, is a... More	8 Images	0 Videos

Brown galingale (Cyperus fuscus)
Brown galingale is a small tufted sedge, with three-angled stems that bear narrow, dull grey-green leaves. The flowers are tiny and... More	9 Images	0 Videos

Bugle (Ajuga reptans)
Bugle is a common herb that often grows in large clumps. The flowers are deep purplish blue, rarely pink or white, and are arranged... More	6 Images	1 Video

Bulrush (Typha latifolia)
The bulrush was termed 'reedmace' by botanists until the 1970s, but the common English name 'bulrush’'has since been accepted. This... More	7 Images	2 Videos

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)
Butterbur is so called as the huge rhubarb-like leaves with their downy undersides were used to wrap around butter in the days... More	10 Images	1 Video

Butterfly-bush (Buddleja davidii)
This large shrub is so called because it is visited by large numbers of butterflies and moths, as it is an extremely good source of... More	4 Images	3 Videos

Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a low-growing plant with finely divided leaves, which are arranged alternately on the stem... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Colt’s-foot (Tussilago farfara)
Colt’s foot is one of the earliest flowers each spring. The alternative name ‘son-before-father’ refers to the fact that the bright... More	11 Images	2 Videos

Common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)
Butterwort is an insectivorous plant. It produces bright purple flowers that have earned the species the alternative names of bog... More	8 Images	0 Videos

Common chickweed (Stellaria media)
Common chickweed is a very common weed. It is extremely variable in its appearance, but generally it has a very slender tap root... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale agg)
Dandelions are well-known, robust weeds; the common name derives from the French 'dent de lion', meaning 'lion's tooth'... More	11 Images	3 Videos

Common duckweed (Lemna gibba)
This duckweed is one of Britain's most common small water plants, which forms familiar green mats covering stagnant water bodies... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Common holly (Ilex aquifolium)
With its bright red berries (found only on female plants), and shiny evergreen leaves, the native holly tree has been a symbol of... More	6 Images	1 Video

Common nettle (Urtica dioica)
The common or stinging nettle is a well-known and highly successful 'weed' species. The roots are very tough and are yellow in... More	7 Images	4 Videos

Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
The common poppy is a familiar wild flower, which has long been a symbol of death and rebirth, and is worn in many countries on... More	12 Images	3 Videos

Common reed (Phragmites australis)
This common reed forms large beds in shallow water; it has round, hollow stems, which typically grow to 2m in height, but may reach... More	4 Images	4 Videos

Common water-plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica)
Common water-plantain is a stout aquatic herb with oval-shaped leaves, which may be rounded or heart-shaped at the base. The pale... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Convergent stonewort (Chara connivens)
Stoneworts used to be classified as members of the plant kingdom, but it is now agreed that they belong, along with other green... More	2 Images	0 Videos

Corn buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis)
Corn buttercup produces yellow flowers with shiny petals on an erect, leafy stem. The leaves are split into narrow lobes, and the... More	4 Images	0 Videos

Corn cleavers (Galium tricornutum)
Corn cleavers is an endangered plant that has bristly stems and produces thin leaves in whorls of up to nine. The double fruits are... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Corncockle (Agrostemma githago)
This attractive tall cornfield plant has purple flowers which occur singly on the top of long stalks, the leaves are long and... More	6 Images	2 Videos

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
The attractive flowers of the cornflower are a bright celebratory blue, distinctive enough to have given its name to a colour. The... More	4 Images	2 Videos

Cornish path moss (Ditrichum cornubicum)
This extremely rare moss was first discovered in 1963 and only identified as a distinct species in 1976. It appears as dull-green... More	1 Image	0 Videos

Cotswold pennycress (Thlaspi perfoliatum)
Perfoliate, or 'Cotswold' penny-cress is an unusual member of the cabbage family, with one or more smooth stems. It has a rosette... More	9 Images	0 Videos

Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
Cow parsley is one of the most familiar wild plants of the British countryside. Throughout the month of May, most roadsides are... More	8 Images	0 Videos

Cowslip (Primula veris)
The cowslip is a well-known spring flowering plant, which was once much more common than it is today. The crinkled green leaves are... More	7 Images	2 Videos

Creeping marshwort (Apium repens)
As its name suggests, creeping marshwort is a low-growing plant. The leaves are toothed with a single large cleft, and the plant... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Cut-grass (Leersia oryzoides)
Cut-grass is a creeping perennial with flat, pale yellowish-green leaves that have rough edges. Its inflorescence is usually... More	3 Images	0 Videos

Cut-leaved germander (Teucrium botrys)
Cut-leaved germander is a hairy plant that, as the common name suggests, has leaves that are cut into a number of oblong-shaped... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Daisy (Bellis perennis)
The humble yet cheerfully attractive daisy is familiar to most as a 'weed' of lawns and a feature of many children's games. The... More	6 Images	2 Videos

Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria)
The Deptford pink is an upright plant, not unlike its garden relative Sweet-William in appearance. The flowers are stalkless and a... More	6 Images	0 Videos

Species 1 - 50 of 203 [ next ]

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