Plants

Staghorn Sumac

Scientific name Rhus typhina Family Anacardiaceae Botanical description Habit: Small tree, typically forming a low, spreading dome to 7m in height, often with multiple … Continue

Wild Service (Chequers Tree)

The wild service tree has earned its name from the Latin cervisia, because people used its small fruit in ancient times to make a fermented, … Continue

Crab apple

Introduction Crab apple is the awkward cousin of the cultivated apple and is often overlooked in food and medicine. However, the tree produces small, … Continue

Gorse

Gorse is a pretty, fragrant shrub of the pea family. The native species to the British Isles is considered to be U. gallii, although U. europaeus is … Continue

Wood Avens (Herb Bennet)

Wood Avens, or herb bennet, is a woodland member of the rose family (Rosaceae). Curiously, the plant’s Latin name urbanum means ‘city dweller’ which … Continue

Sea Buckthorn

Sea buckthorn is an ancient crop with modern virtues, say many researchers of ethnobotany. Its Latin name Hippophae is from the Greek ‘hippo’, meaning … Continue

Cow parsley

Introduction Cow parsley displays characteristic rows of ‘white lace’ along roadside verges in spring and was once used in food and medicine. However, a … Continue

Flowering currant

Ribes sanguineum is a versatile and attractive shrub that offers ornamental and culinary value in the British Isles. Its vibrant flowers, fragrant foliage, and … Continue

Ground Ivy

Ground ivy is one of Britain’s commonest plants. It flourishes from sunny banks to shady wastelands. A perennial plant with trailing dark-green, kidney-shaped leaves … Continue

Sea Beet

Sea beet is the wild ancestor to common vegetables such as beetroot, swiss chard and spinach beet. We can even thank the rugged coastal … Continue

Navelwort (Pennywort)

There is a tendency to overlook the navelwort in favour of the house-leek (Sempervivum tectorum) in folk medicine. David Allen and Gabrielle Hatfield consider … Continue

Smooth Sowthistle

The hollow stem yields a white, milky juice said to be eaten by sows to increase the flow of their milk. The Latin name … Continue

Horseradish

Horseradish has been cultivated since ancient times and is a familiar culinary herb of many kitchens. Its distinctive taste is used to flavour many … Continue

Sweet Chestnut

There are few customs more autumnal than collecting chestnuts and roasting them over a fire. Chestnuts, from the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa), are … Continue

Sea Aster

Scientific name Tripolium pannonicum Family Asteraceae. Botanical description The plant yields blue-purple, daisy-like flowers with bright yellow stamens among a sea of long, slender … Continue