Paul Sterry - British Wild Flowers - A photographic guide to every common species

Hazel catkins

Hazel

Hazel Corylus avellana (Betulaceae) HEIGHTto 12m

Dense woodland shrub or small tree; often coppiced. FLOWERSCatkins (male) or small red, tufted structures (female) (Jan–Mar). FRUITSHard-cased nuts, green, ripening brown in autumn. LEAVESAppearing after flowers, 6–8cm long, circular to oval, with double-toothed margins. STATUSCommon and widespread.

Bog-myrtle

Bog-myrtle Myrica gale (Myricaceae) HEIGHTto 1m

Woody, brown-stemmed shrub that is characteristic of boggy habitats, usually on acid soils. FLOWERSOrange, ovoid male catkins or pendulous brown female catkins; on separate plants (Apr). FRUITSBrownish nuts. LEAVESOval, grey-green, smelling of resin when crushed . STATUSWidespread but local; sometimes locally dominant.

Berries

Mistletoe

Mistletoe Viscum album (Viscaceae) DIAMETERto 1m

Woody, evergreen parasite with evenly forked branches. Forms large, spherical clumps among branches of host trees, mainly apple (often in cultivation), lime and poplar. FLOWERSInconspicuous (Feb–Apr). FRUITSWhite, sticky berries. LEAVESOval, yellowish green, in opposite pairs. STATUSWidespread but local.

Bastard-toadflax

Bastard-toadflax Thesium humifusum (Santalaceae) PROSTRATE

Low-growing plant of chalk grassland with sparse branches and a woody base. FLOWERSCup-shaped, fused; white inside, yellowish green outside; 4 or 5 pointed lobes create a starlike appearance (June–Aug). FRUITSGreenish, ovoid. LEAVES5–15mm long, oval, yellowish green. STATUSExtremely local and habitat-specific.

Hop

Hop Humulus lupulus (Cannabaceae) HEIGHTto 6m

Twining, hairy hedgerow climber. Grows on a range of soils, often a relict of cultivation. FLOWERSClustered; greenish yellow (male) or green and hop-like (female) (June–Aug). FRUITSFamiliar hops, ripening brown in autumn. LEAVESDivided into 3–5 coarse-toothed lobes. STATUSWidespread, locally common only in the south.

Common Nettle

Common Nettle

Common Nettle Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) HEIGHTto 1m

The familiar stinging nettle. FLOWERSPendulous catkins; borne on separate-sex plants (June–Oct). FRUITSSuperficially resembling flowers. LEAVESOval, with pointed tips, toothed, in opposite pairs; 8cm long and longer than stalks. STATUSWidespread and common, doing best on nitrogen-enriched and disturbed soils.

Small Nettle

Small Nettle Urtica urens (Urticaceae) HEIGHTto 50cm

Similar to Common Nettle but smaller and annual. FLOWERSPendulous catkins, male and female on same plant (June–Sep). FRUITSSuperficially resembling female flowers. LEAVESOval, with pointed tips, toothed; up to 4cm long; lower leaves shorter than their stalks. STATUSWidespread and locally common on disturbed ground.

Pellitory-of-the-wall

Pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria judaica (Urticaceae) HEIGHTto 7cm

Spreading, downy perennial with reddish stems. Colonises walls, roadsides and rocky ground. FLOWERSClustered at leaf bases (June–Oct). FRUITSClustered at leaf bases. LEAVESOval, up to 5cm long and long-stalked. STATUSWidespread in England, Wales and Ireland; commonest in coastal areas and in the west.

Cleave, Andrew

Mind-your-own-business

Mind-your-own-business Soleirolia soleirolii (Urticaceae) PROSTRATE

Mat-forming perennial with wiry, threadlike stems. FLOWERSMinute, pink (May–Aug). FRUITSMinute, hard to discern. LEAVESTiny, rounded, untoothed and evergreen. STATUSA garden escape, colonising walls and paths, mainly in the south-west.

Cleave, Andrew

Asarabacca

Asarabacca Asarum europaeum (Aristolochiaceae) HEIGHTto 30cm

Evergreen perennial associated with shady banks and woodland margins. Creeping, hairy stems. In suitable locations, forms carpets often alongside ivy. FLOWERSPurplish brown, 15mm long, bell-shaped with 3 terminal lobes (May–Aug). FRUITSBrownish capsules. LEAVESDark green, shiny, kidney-shaped. STATUSNative in a few locations but also naturalised.

Birthwort

Birthwort