Get started identifying cultivated and wild Snowdrops with a new snowdrop identification crib for gardeners and budding galanthophiles
It’s no secret that I love Snowdrops – growing them, finding them in the wild, and visiting collections have all proven rather addictive. Like many enthusiasts, I often struggle with identification – something I suspect is common, except among the most knowledgeable Galanthophiles. This challenge is partly due to the scattered nature of Snowdrop resources.
Having created a simplified key for widespread Snowdrop species found in the UK, I wanted to take it a step further by extending it to cultivated species and hybrids. Here is the result. Perhaps it will be useful to fellow gardeners who, like me, frequently misplace their labels!
Identifying Snowdrops
Well-naturalised in woodlands, hedgerows, large gardens, and other shady areas, snowdrops bring joy to many in late winter. Looking past the obvious similarities, they can be an interesting bunch to explore, and even with a tentative glance, it is possible to find several species with relative ease.
On top of this, the popularity of Snowdrops with collectors means that a great many species, most of which hail from Eastern Europe, have been brought into cultivation. Many of these are rather rare but several do crop up from time to time, as do hybrids. Cultivars are plentiful too but are not covered here (with a few exceptions). A good list can be found here.
ZUBOV, D.A. and DAVIS, A.P. (2012). Galanthus panjutinii sp. nov.: a new name for an invalidly published species of Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) from the northern Colchis area of Western Transcaucasia. Phytotaxa, [online] 50(1), p.55. doi:https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.50.1.5.
Get started identifying the widespread Wood-sorrels (Oxalis) you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of accessible plant cribs. It has been a while since I shared one (they are very much a project for the darker months) so I thought I would get back into the swing of things by sharing another challenging plant family.
After tackling common grasses the last time around, now seemed like a good time to focus on something a little more colourful – introducing our pesky urban Wood-sorrels (Oxalis)
The wood-sorrels are an interesting group of low-growing, largely perennial plants with five-petaled flowers in shades of pink, red, white and yellow. While our native Wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is very much a plant of woodlands, most are plants of human-influenced habitats – think pavements, gutters, flowerbeds and driveways. In my native Newcastle, around 8 species are infrequently encountered about these habitats, though several others are likely to occur too. The simplified key below covers those most likely to be encountered in the North East but please note, there are several rarer ones out there.
Key factors to focus on when identifying oxalis are flower colour (which can help separate them nicely into groups), flower detail, leaflet number and leaf detail.
Identifying Oxalis
Oxalis are a moderately diverse bunch. Here, we’ll aim to cover the species botanists are most likely to encounter while out and about in urban areas across the North East; though the information shared should apply equally well elsewhere in the UK. This crib focuses the following species:
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or better still, providing a back-link so that more people can find it. If you have any suggestions for further groups to cover, I’d love to hear from you.
Get started identifying the common grasses found in urban and ruderal habitats.
Thank you all so much for continuing to read this series of plant cribs – they are evolving over time and it is great to hear your feedback! These resources have been designed primarily for a beginner’s botany course I am leading as part of my role with the Natural History Society of Northumbria but it is wonderful to see them being read, downloaded and importantly, used by so many people online. While I don’t proclaim to be an expert, and there may well be mistakes within, I hope they are coming in useful to someone, somewhere.
After tackling willowherbs, yellow composites and several other pesky groups, I wanted to try something new this week with a crib to the various common and widespread grasses so many of us see on a daily basis. Specifically, those likely to pop up in a whole host of everyday habitats – verges, parks, wasteland and the like. I certainly found it useful to learn these before straying into more complex (and often frustrating) grass species.
Identifying grasses requires at least a basic understanding of plant anatomy and it is useful to know the name of the various parts. This blog post, by Awkward Botany, would be a good starting point.
While this page contains the species that you are most likely to come across in most situations, most of the time, you should remember that there are a great many confusion species out there. A good starting point for taking your interest in grasses further would be this book by the Species Recovery Trust.
Identifying Common Grasses
The crib below covers a 25 species judged to be common and widespread in North East England, and elsewhere in the UK too. The species covered are:
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or better still, providing a back-link so that more people can find it.
I hope to also produce similar sheets for wetland and coastal grasses, as well as an abridged version of the above featuring another dozen or so species very soon.
Get started identifying a range of widespread yellow composites with a new simplified crib
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of accessible plant cribs. They are evolving overtime and it is great to hear your feedback!
After tackling willowherbs, I wanted to try something different base the next of these cribs on your feedback. Shock horror, it turns out the two groups you want to see tackled are yellow composites and grasses. I may need a stiff drink before turning my attention to the latter, but we can certainly give the flowers a go!
Now, most of us are familiar with the Dandelions that brighten up grassy areas with their yellow flowers come spring and summer. In many cases, however, a plant which looks like a Dandelion may not actually be so. Instead, there are several superfisically similar plants – the hawkbits, hawk’s-beards, cat’s-ears and sow-thistles – that share a similar look. Each of these shares the familiar yellow flower head making it necessary to examine other parts of the plant. Most notably, the leaves, phyllaries and often, the stem.
Another excellent resource, created by the Norfolk Flora Group, is also worth a look and can be found here.
Identifying Yellow Composites
Yellow composites are a diverse and slightly daunting group. Here, we’ll aim to cover the species botanists are most likely to encounter while out and about in the North East though the information shared should apply equally well elsewhere in the UK. This crib addresses the following species:
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or better still, providing a back-link so that more people can find it. If you have any suggestions for further groups to cover, I’d love to hear from you.
Get started identifying the widespread willowherbs you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of accessible plant cribs. They are evolving overtime and it is great to hear your feedback.
After tackling forget-me-nots, now seemed like a good time to produce another simplified crib on an equally appealling group of plants – our pesky willowherbs.
Members of the evening-primrose family, Onagraceae, willowherbs are familiar flowers of our urban spaces. While they occur in all habitats, they are particularly prominent in human-influenced landscapes where around eight species can commonly be encountered in pavements, waste areas and even gardens. The simplified key below covers those most likely to be encountered in the North East but please note, there are several rarer ones out there.
Key factors to focus on when identifying willowherbs include the shape of the stigma, hairiness and importantly, the type of hairs present, and stem/petiole features.
Identifying Willowherbs
Willowherbs are a rather diverse bunch. Here, we’ll aim to cover the species botanists are most likely to encounter while out and about locally; though the information shared should apply equally well elsewhere in the UK. This crib addresses the following species:
Great Willowherb
Hoary Willowherb
Broad-leaved Willowherb
Square-stalked Willowherb
Short-fruited Willowherb
Marsh Willowherb
American Willowherb
Pale Willowherb
Additionally, and more for curiosity than anything else, some information is also included on various willowherb hybrids found across the UK.
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or better still, providing a back-link so that more people can find it. If you have any suggestions for further groups to cover, I’d love to hear from you.
Get started identifying the widespread forget-me-nots you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of accessible plant cribs. They are evolving overtime and it is great to hear your feedback.
After tackling crocuses, now seemed like a good time to produce another simplified crib on an equally appealling group of plants – our forget-me-nots.
Members of the Borage family, Forget-me-nots are familiar flowers of spring and popular for their bright blue blooms. They occur in all habitats, from urban pavements to pool-sides and upland flushes and at times, are popular as garden plants. They simplified key below covers those most likely to be encountered in the North East but please note, there are several rarer ones out there.
Key factors to focus on when identifying forget-me-nots include flower colour, style length, pedicel length and of course, the structure and arrangement of hairs.
Identifying Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots are not extraordinarily diverse, at least in North East England. Here, we’ll aim to cover the species botanists are most likely to encounter while out and about locally; though the information shared should apply equally well elsewhere in the UK. This crib addresses the following species:
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or better still, providing a back-link so that more people can find it. If you have any suggestions for further groups to cover, I’d love to hear from you.
Get started identifying the naturalised crocuses you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib.
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of beginner’s plant cribs. They are evolving overtime and it is great to hear your feedback.
After tackling snowdrops, now seemed like a good time to produce another simplified crib on an equally appealing group of spring plants: our Crocuses.
Members of the Iris family, crocuses are extremely popular in cultivation owing to their early flowering and vibrant colours. This popularity means that they are a familiar sight in churchyards, parks and amenity areas across the UK. From time to time, several may also turn up in more natural settings as a result of garden discards or dumped horticultural waste.
Key factors to focus on when identifying crocuses include flower colour, colour of the petal tube, leaf width, and length of the reproductive parts. In some, you’ll also need to scrutinise the corm – often a challenging task!
Identifying Crocuses
Owing to a long history of hybridisation, our crocuses are a diverse bunch and can come in a daunting array of colours and forms. This makes identifying some, particularly garden cultivars, somewhat challenging. Still, data from botanists across the UK shows that certain species (and hybrids) are more likely to be encountered than others. This crib addresses the following species:
Enjoying this series? Please consider sharing this page with friends or, better still, providing a backlink so that more people can find it. If you have any suggestions for further groups to cover, I’d love to hear from you.
Get started identifying the naturalised cotoneasters likely to be recorded in Northumberland and several others that may occur here soon.
Over the past year, I’ve been down a rabbit hole with cotoneasters. With around 80 species now recorded in a wild and naturalised state across the UK, these alien shrubs are quickly becoming a familiar part of our flora. This is especially true in urban areas where with a little help from our feathered friends, they can turn up just about anywhere.
The problem with cotoneasters is that many species look awfully alike and while there are several more abundant and easily recognisable species, identifying them is still somewhat of a pain. Adding to this, accessible information to aid in identifying cotoneasters is rather scattered. Cotoneasters: A Comprehensive Guide to Shrubs for Flowers, Fruit, and Foliage by Fryer and Hylmo (2009) is by far the best resource available but I find, is much more suitable for checking specimens at home than in the field. Likewise with Stace! Websites such as The Flora of East Anglia and Alien Plants of Belgium are useful too but cover only small groups of species, albeit with lots of useful insight.
To help with identifying cotoneasters in the field, recently I set about creating a resource that was a little more portable. Having stumbled across this fabulous crib for cotoneasters in Hampshire by John Norton and Phil Pullen (2016), whose basic format I have unashamedly borrowed here, I have since created an account for all the cotoneaster species currently known in Northumberland, and further species known from elsewhere in the UK which may turn up soon.
The accounts here are summarised from Fryer and Hylmo (2009) with some additions from other resources. In many cases, features have been checked against plants in the wild or those currently growing in our yard here in Newcastle. Rather than stick to known sections and series within the genus, I have also tried to group species by shared features noticeable in the field e.g. bullate leaves or tomentose undersides. Whether this is helpful remains to be seen.
Version one of the resource can be downloaded below but remember, this is a work in progress and I am no expert. Still, I hope a few botanists out there may find it useful.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised clovers likely to be recorded in Northumberland.
A distinctive group of flowers familiar from garden lawns, roadside verges and other everday habitats, as well as more typically wild places, clovers are a recognisable bunch. Members of the pea family, fabaceae, they sport familiar clustered flowerheads and trifoliate leaves and some of them at least, represent some of the wildflowers we’re most likely to encounter on our daily walks wherever we find ourselves.
In a change to these plant identification posts, this time I am including a short talk recorded for the Natural History Society of Northumbria sharing a few tips for identifying the clovers likely to be encountered across North East England. Around 9 of them to be precise, though of course, there are several more out there.
I’ll be sharing more of these videos here over the weeks and months to come as, I confess, they are far easier to put together than a lengthy post on plant ID. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps feel inspired to start identifying clovers yourselves. Give it a go!
Keen to explore other wildflower groups? Why not check out previous posts on speedwells, ragworts and snowdrops.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised poppies likely to be recorded in Northumberland.
A distinctive group of flowers with thin, flaccid flowers, Our poppies are a popular bunch. With most species flowering come early-summer, I thought now seemed like a good time to cover this attactive group. Remember, this post covers those most likely to be encountered in Northumberland and the wider North East. It isn’t exhaustive.
Common PoppyPapaver rhoeas
County Status: Common
Habitat: Disturbed ground along agricultural margins and within towns and cities. Typically, roadsides, pavements, building sites and brownfield.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers red, sometimes with a black blotch towards the base of the petals. Petals noticably overlapping. Unopened buds chubby, rounded and hairy. Flower stalks with spreading hairs. Seed capsules rounded, only slightly longer than wide.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaBart Vastenhouw, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Long-headed PoppyPapaver dubium
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Disturbed ground and light soils in urban areas, along roads and on brownfield land. Occasional within fields.
Identification: Flowering May-August. Flowers red, often appearing slightly more ‘washed out’ than Common Poppy. Petals overlapping, occasionally with a small black blotch at the base. Sap milky white (break a stem). Seed capsules noticeably elongate, far longer than wide.
Image via Flickr by Gertjan van NoordEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Yellow-juiced PoppyPapaver lecoqii
County Status: Very rare*
*There are only a handful of records in Northumberland at the time of writing this. Possibly under-recorded for Long-headed Poppy.
Habitat: Disturbed ground of any type, both in urban and rural habitats.
Identification: Flowering May-August. Visually identifical to Long-headed Poppy. Petals red and overlapping, though to a lesser extent than the former. Seed capsule elongate. Sap yellow (not white).
Prickly PoppyPapaver argemone
County Status: Rare*
*There are many Northumberland records from 1950-1980 but this plant is virtually absent thereafter. It may well pop up again!
Habitat: Usually disturbed ground in cultivated fields. Less often in towns and cities.
Identification: Flowering May-July. Flowers red, usually with an extensive area of black towards the base of the petals. Seed capsule elongate with prominent long bristles.
Peter Meininger, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Atlas PoppyPapaver atlanticum
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Urban habitats, usually close to gardens. Open and disturbed ground and occasionally within grassy areas.
Identification: Flowering April-September. A tall plant, often noticeably larger than Welsh Poppy. Flowers orange. Seed capsule elongate. Leaves broader and less divided than other poppies, glaucous in colour.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Welsh PoppyPapaver cambricum
County Status: Common
Habitat: Gardens and urban habitats close to habitation. Favours shady situations. Occasionally spreading to roadsides, stream banks etc.
Identification: Flowering May-July. A medium-tall slightly hairy plant with deeply divided foliage. Flowers usually yellow but orange-flowered forms may occur.. Capsule elliptical with a short style at the tip.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaJelle van Dijk, via SaxifragaJan van der Straaten, via Saxifraga
Oriental PoppyPapaver setiferum
County Status: Rare*
*Known to be well-naturalised only at Bamburgh in North Northumberland. Otherwise, occasional as garden throw-outs.
Habitat: A common garden plant which may occur in a variety of grassy or ruderal habitats where waste has been dumped.
Identification: A very large perennial plant. Flowering May-July. Flowers typically red but other cultivars exist. Big and blousy. Petals usually with a large, black blotch at base. Entire plant covered in bristle-like hairs. Stems leafy to the top.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum
County Status: Common
Habitat: Dry and disturbed habitats in urban environments. Roadsides, rough ground and often, coastal habitats.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers are incredibly variable and can be pink, lilac, red or white. Pale lilac in the typical form.Seed capsule spherical. Best separated by its glaucous, waxy leaves.
Peter Meininger, via SaxifragaAb H Baas, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Greater Celandine Chelidonium majus
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Waste and disturbed ground in urban habitats, often close to gardens or allotments where it is commonly cultivated.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers yellow, four-petaled and displayed in small umbels. Double-flowered forms frequent. Leaves round-lobed. Sap bright orange.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaJan van der Straaten, via Saxifraga
Californian Poppy Eschscholzia californica
County Status: Rare
Habitat: Pavements, roadsides and bare ground close to gardens. Occasionally included in amenity seed mixes in parkland or along roads.
Identification: An annual, seldom persisting. Flowering May-September. Flowers vibrant orange or rarely yellow. Foliage finely-divided, feather-like.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaJelle van Dijk, via Saxifraga
Identifying Rarer Poppies
Yellow-horned Poppy Glaucium flavum
County Status: Very rare*
*A few historic records from the Northumberland coast but not recorded since 1984.I wonder if it will turn up again?
Habitat: Shingle beaches, rocky shorelines and the margins of saltmarshes
Get started identifying wild and naturalised speedwells in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
Find keys boring? You’re not alone. While those of us who spend our days obsessively searching for plants quite like them, for most people, they don’t cut the mustard. Indeed, they can be particularly offputting to beginners.
It is for this reason that I wanted to start a new series on this blog – Common’s Cribs, a full series that will eventually appear here. Hopefully colourful and straightforward, these simple guides include the species people are likely to encounter during their daily lives, hopefully making the process of identifying a plant easier.
Identifying Speedwells
Cheery, blue, and rather diverse, speedwells are all around us. Abundant in both the wider countryside and urban areas, these little flowers are surprisingly diverse and can prove a challenge to the amateur botanist. This, alongside their delicate appeal, makes them a fun group to explore in the next of these beginner’s cribs.
In this crib, we’ll look at:
Common Field-speedwell
Green Field-speedwell
Grey Field-speedwell
Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Slender Speedwell
Wood Speedwell
Germander Speedwell
Heath Speedwell
Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Wall Speedwell
Brooklime
Pink Water-speedwell
Blue Water-speedwell
Please note that several other speedwells exist in the far reaches of the UK and more still can turn up as garden escapes. This crib is ideally suited to North East England but could be used anywhere if you bear this in mind.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised snowdrops you’re most likely to spot in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of beginner’s plant cribs. It means a lot.
With a few more abundant groups out of the way, now seemed like a good time to move away from familiar urban plants and tackle something a little more challenging: Snowdrops.
Now, I know what you might be thinking – snowdrops all look the same. Small, white, and blooming usually (but not always) in late winter, I tend to agree. Or did, that is. Since I started looking at my local snowdrops here in Newcastle, it has become quite clear that they are far more diverse than meets the eye. Inspired by a few local finds, I wanted to explore the species you’re most likely to see wild, naturalised, and yes, planted, here in the North East. True to form, I have included some other species and varieties too but only because they’re bound to turn up eventually.
Identifying Snowdrops
Well-naturalised in woodlands, hedgerows, large gardens, and other shady areas, snowdrops bring joy to many in late winter. Looking past the obvious similarities, they can be an interesting bunch to explore, and even with a tentative glance, it is possible to find several species with relative ease. Especially if humans have been involved in spreading them. In this crib, we’ll look at:
Get started identifying small-flowered fleabanes a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
So far, this fledgling series of botanical cribs has focused on plants commonly encountered in urban areas. In Dead-nettles and Ragworts, we have some of our most conspicuous native plants, but what about some of our lesser-known species? Having discovered several species of fleabane close to home in Newcastle this year, I thought it was high time they enjoyed a moment in the sun.
Now, when you think of fleabanes, you might picture the lovely round blooms of Common Fleabane or the daisy-like flowers of Mexican Fleabane. You’d be right to, of course, but what many may not know is that there is a whole other contingent of these plants out there to be discovered. I am of course talking about the small-flowered fleabanes – a group of largely non-naive species which readily adapt to urban habitats.
Identifying Fleabanes
With their diminutive flowers and a tendency to grow in a whole host of grotty places, small-flowered fleabanes are not the most glamourous bunch. That said, they are interesting. Largely because several of them are currently in the process of spreading like wildfire in the UK. In this crib, we’ll look at:
Get started identifying dead-nettles with a brand-new crib suitable for beginner botanists.
Well, our first beginner’s crib to urban ragworts seemed to go down well. Thank you for the kind comments all! Spurred on by your feedback, this week I’ve created another looking a second accessible plant family, and one just as common in our towns and cities.
I have also almost finished a festive entry on Snowdrops and hope to have a crib to small-flowered fleabanes ready soon too. Until then, let’s get started…
Identifying dead-nettles
Colourful and conspicuous, dead-nettles are some of our most familiar wildflowers. Well, at least the 1-2 species commonly spotted in flowerbeds and overgrown gardens, that is. Some dead-nettles, particularly the small red ones, can look surprisingly alike and I wanted our next crib to take a closer look at these lovely little weeds.
Please note, as ever, this focuses on the species likely to be encountered in North East England, as opposed to rarer ones. It includes:
