Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Wild Flowers
    Wild Flowers
    Wild Flowers
    Ebook696 pages2 hours

    Wild Flowers

    By HarperCollins UK

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look and updated material.

    This is the perfect pocket guide for nature enthusiasts keen to identify the wild flowers they might encounter on a walk along the coast or in the mountains, or a ramble through woodland, fields or wetlands.

    Authoritative text, beautiful photographs and detailed illustrations show the parts of the flower, stem, leaf and fruit, including both common and scientific names of each wild flower.

    Additionally, each entry features illustrations and description of appearance and colour, details on size, type of habitat, geographical range and flowering season, along with helpful information on herbal medicinal uses of each flower.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateApr 12, 2012
    ISBN9780007448531
    Wild Flowers

    Related to Wild Flowers

    Related ebooks

    Nature For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Touch Of Scarlet Fever

      Feb 5, 2020

      A Touch Of Scarlet Fever
      3 min read

    • Article

      A-Z Of Houseplants

      May 28, 2020

      A-Z Of Houseplants
      2 min read

    • Article

      Cut & dried

      Jul 1, 2020

      Cut & dried
      4 min read

    • Article

      LEARNING WITH SEEDS: Engaging Young Minds

      Oct 13, 2023

      I’ve always thought seeds can uniquely capture the interest of children. Seeds start as one thing and become another—in short, they transform. As a child, I wasn’t fascinated with pea seeds when I planted rows by hand. But certain seeds always entice

      5 min read

    • Article

      Family Matters

      Mar 6, 2019

      Family Matters
      5 min read

    • Article

      Carol’s 10 Star Succulents

      Jan 20, 2022

      Carol’s 10 Star Succulents
      3 min read

    • Article

      This week… Daffodils

      Sep 20, 2022

      DAFFODILS are popular, easy-to-grow, adaptable spring-flowering bulbs. Each bulb is half-way between an onion and a shallot in shape and size, with fleshy segments surrounded by papery outer coverings. The base is flattened, and this is where the roo

      4 min read

    • Article

      Make Room For Blooms

      Apr 28, 2020

      Make Room For Blooms
      4 min read

    • Article

      WILD Beauties

      May 14, 2020

      WILD Beauties
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Gardener’s Essential A–z

      Sep 6, 2020

      PART THREE To transplant a plant grown in a pot or seed tray into another pot, usually one or two sizes larger. This may take place several times until a plant is large enough to plant outdoors, or into a container, to reach maturity. Potting on shou

      5 min read

    • Article

      A gardener’s MISCELLANY

      Jun 27, 2023

      We look at one of the largest plant families in the world THE lawn daisy is just one of around 32,900 daisy species – all plants in the Asteraceae family. This used to be called Compositae, but is now named after one of the plant groups within it – t

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Sun Seeker

      Dec 12, 2018

      The Sun Seeker
      3 min read

    • Article

      Parasite Plant

      Oct 10, 2018

      Parasite Plant
      2 min read

    • Article

      Uncommon Milkweeds

      Jun 26, 2019

      Uncommon Milkweeds
      2 min read

    • Article

      Shy Violet No More

      Mar 1, 2019

      Shy Violet No More
      5 min read

    • Article

      This Week It’s: Asiatic And Other Lilies

      Jun 1, 2021

      LILIES are admired the world over for both their spectacular beauty and enduring mystique. They have a place in any garden, whether it’s formal or informal, massive or tiny. And their popularity has increased dramatically in the past couple of decade

      4 min read

    • Article

      Butterfly Host Plants

      Apr 10, 2024

      Butterflies are beautiful and fascinating creatures with scales on their wings and “taste buds” on their feet. But populations have been declining, partly due to habitat loss. The good news is that gardeners can help! If you grow the host plants that

      9 min read

    • Article

      Peculiar Plants

      Nov 16, 2021

      ■ From AG 28 November IN the Book of Isaiah there is the passage ‘…they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.’ The prophet was a good observer of nature,

      5 min read

    • Article

      This week… Lilies

      Aug 30, 2022

      LILIES are summer-flowering hardy bulbs with colourful, sometimes flamboyant, often fragrant flowers. Each bulb is made up of a large cluster of fleshy scales from the centre of which grows one stem that can reach anything from 9in-8ft (23cm-2.4m) in

      4 min read

    • Article

      Daisy Chain

      Nov 6, 2019

      Daisy Chain
      4 min read

    • Article

      This week… Asters

      Sep 6, 2022

      ASTERS are summer and autumn-flowering hardy perennial plants with flowers like daisies. In spring, shoots arise from a steadily spreading crown and the vertical stems carry pale or dark-green leaves that are usually narrow and lance-shaped, though o

      3 min read

    • Article

      WILD Elderberries

      Jun 12, 2020

      WILD Elderberries
      4 min read

    • Article

      Potent Porter weeds

      Apr 20, 2023

      Potent Porter weeds
      4 min read

    • Article

      Foraging for Wild Foods

      Jan 10, 2020

      Foraging for Wild Foods
      7 min read

    • Article

      Ripple Effect

      Feb 12, 2020

      Ripple Effect
      3 min read

    • Article

      On The Wild Side

      May 1, 2023

      In life there are things that last and things that don’t. Among the don’ts are a group of spring wildflowers sometimes called “ephemerals.” They come, and if you don’t get out in the woods in a hurry, they go. Then, there’s nothing to be done but hea

      2 min read

    • Article

      Unbelievable Umbellifers

      Mar 31, 2021

      Unbelievable Umbellifers
      4 min read

    • Article

      Asiatic Lilies

      Apr 5, 2023

      Asiatic Lilies
      6 min read

    Reviews for Wild Flowers

    3.5/5

    6 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Wild Flowers - HarperCollins UK

      Wild Flowers

      Martin Walters

      Contents key

      The species in this book fall roughly into 21 different flower shapes. You should be able to match the flower shape of the species you are trying to identify to one of the drawings below, to find out to which family it belongs. Once you have looked up the right family section, you should be able to find your species. Some flower shapes are distinctive and characteristic of one family only. Others, e.g. regular flowers with 5 petals, appear in several families, and the key will direct you to all of these. The family name and a sketch of the flower shape appear at the top of each species entry page.

      Cover

      Title Page

      Introduction

      Bob Gibbons

      Poppy Family

      Cabbage Family

      Rose Family

      Willow-herb Family

      Bedstraw Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Buttercup Family

      St John’s-wort Family

      Rock-rose Family

      Pink Family

      Purslane Family

      Mallow Family

      Flax Family

      Cranesbill Family

      Wood-sorrel Family

      Rose Family

      Stonecrop Family

      Saxifrage Family

      Cucumber Family

      Primrose Family

      Gentian Family

      Borage Family

      Nightshade Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Buttercup Family

      Water-lily Family

      Primrose Family

      Gentian Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Mignonette Family

      Pea Family

      Rose Family

      Stonecrop Family

      Loosestrife Family

      Willow-herb Family

      Spurge Family

      Primrose Family

      Bogbean Family

      Borage Family

      Figwort Family

      Mint Family

      Daisy Family

      Orchid Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Buttercup Family

      Cabbage Family

      Rose Family

      Sea-lavender Family

      Mint Family

      Bedstraw Family

      Valerian Family

      Daisy Family

      Lily Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Pea Family

      Rose Family

      Bellflower Family

      Teasel Family

      Daisy Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Daisy Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Carrot Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Bindweed Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Nightshade Family

      Bellflower Family

      Lily Family

      Daffodil Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Fumitory Family

      Borage Family

      Figwort Family

      Honeysuckle Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Milkwort Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Pea Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Mint Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Violet Family

      Balsam Family

      Figwort Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Heath Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Figwort Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Arum Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Spurge Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Iris Family

      Bob Gibbons

      Daffodil Family

      Searchable Terms

      Copyright

      About the Publisher

      Introduction

      This book will help you identify the most common wildflowers of Britain and Ireland. There are about 1600 species of wildflower in these islands. The 288 in this book are those most likely to be seen during a walk in the countryside, be it on the coast or in the mountains, woodlands, hedgerows, fields or wetlands. All those terms printed in bold in the species entries will be explained in this introduction.

      WHAT IS A WILDFLOWER?

      Wildflowers are those flowers which grow naturally in the countryside. Many are native – they form part of the original flora and have not been introduced by people. Others have been introduced either deliberately or via gardens (garden escapes) or farms. Many cultivated plants grown for food or medicine are descended from ancestors which still grow wild today (e.g. Wild Carrot, p.119). Some wildflowers are called ‘weeds’ simply when they grow where they are not wanted, usually in gardens or fields. They can be very pretty.

      THE FLOWER

      A typical flower has a ring of petals which make up the corolla. Often brightly coloured, they give the flower its main colour. Some species have a tube-like extension or spur at the back of the flower. Below the petals is another ring or calyx of petal-like sepals which protect the flower when it is in bud. Although usually green or brown, some sepals are brightly coloured. Outside the sepals there may be special leaves or bracts which also protect the flower.

      At the centre of a flower there is usually a tall column or style, topped by the sometimes feathery stigma – this is the female part and is where the pollen (the male reproductive cells) from a male flower lands during pollination (the first stage in reproduction). The male parts are the stamens which each consist of a tall, thin stalk or filament, with an enlarged part called the anther at the top containing the pollen. Not all flowers are both male and female, some are single sex only.

      Parts of a flower

      copyright Bob Gibbons

      A shoot may have a single flower at its tip, but more often there are several flowers arranged in a number of different ways. If the group of flowers is tightly packed, it may be called a flowerhead. Sometimes (see Daisy Family) the flowerhead may look like a single flower, but is actually made up of many tiny flowers or florets which which may look like the single petal of a normal flower. These petal-like florets are ray florets, those florets at the centre of the Daisy flower are tube or disc florets. A spike is a flowerhead in which all the flowers are attached to a single column. The flowers of the Carrot Family (umbellifers) grow in an arrangement known as an umbel – many flowers arise from the same point on the stalk, to form a flat-topped umbrella shape. In Lords-and-ladies (p.252), each ‘flower’ is in fact the central rod (extended stem) or spadix, enclosed by a translucent hood or spathe. The actual flowers are tiny and grow at the base of the spadix.

      THE STEM

      The stem is the main above-ground part of a plant, and normally grows upwards. There are many different kinds of stem. Rhizomes are underground stems. Runners grow horizontally above or below the ground and develop small roots and new plants at their tips. Some parts of the stem or leaf may develop tendrils, which aid climbing plants. Bulbs are undergound stems, with compressed, fleshy leaves, from which flowers such as Daffodils grow up quickly in the spring. Bulbils are like tiny bulbs which fall off the parent plant, and grow into new plants the next season. Some species, such as many thistles, have stems which are flattened at the edges (winged stems).

      THE LEAF

      Leaves grow out from the sides of the plant, from thickened parts of the stem called nodes. They may grow opposite each other, or be alternate up the stem. When several leaves grow round the stem at each node, they are described as whorled or in whorls. Leaves growing at the bottom of the stem are called base or basal leaves. When these all spread from the centre they are known as a rosette. Those higher up are called stem leaves. The angle where the leaf stem joins the main stem is called the axil. Bracts are leaves growing close to a flower or flowerhead and protecting it. Sometimes leaf-like stipules grow at the base of a leafstalk.

      A leaf consists of the leafstalk or petiole, and the blade which has a number of veins, including a central vein or midrib. Simple leaves have an undivided blade, while compound leaves are made up of separate leaflets. When these grow from the same point, like the fingers of a hand, the leaf is described as palmate. When they grow along either side, the leaf is pinnate.

      Leaves can be a number of different shapes, including: linear (long and narrow), lanceolate (tapering like the blade of a lance), oval, oblong, triangular, spoon-shaped, kidney-shaped, heart-shaped, trifoliate (like a clover leaf), spear-shaped, arrow-shaped. Leaves may have smooth edges, or they may be toothed or lobed.

      THE FRUIT

      The fruit develops in the flower after pollination, and protects the seeds until they are ripe. There are many different fruit types: some are fleshy and edible, and eaten by birds and other animals; others are hooked and cling to fur or clothing; and others are pods or capsules which release seeds when dry.

      DANGER AND CONSERVATION

      Although culinary and medicinal uses of plants are given in this book, many species are poisonous (some, e.g. Hemlock, very poisonous), including many used in herbal medicine. Do not eat any wild plant or prepare and use your own natural medicines. Do not pick or uproot any wild flower – many are rare and specially protected. No wildflower may be uprooted without permission.

      HOW TO IDENTIFY WILDFLOWERS

      If you know the name of a wildflower you can simply look it up in the index of common names at the back of the book. Closely related flowers belong to the same family. If you cannot identify a flower, but think it is related to one you do recognise, then look up the one you know and look through the species in its family (the family name appears at the top of each page). It is likely that your new find will be in that section. If you have no idea what your flower is, use the symbols in the contents pages to decide what kind of flower shape it has. Then look through the families which contain flowers of that shape. The flower shape of each species appears at the top of each species entry page. Many families have a distinctive flower shape (e.g. the Bindweed Family). Others (e.g. the Daisy Family) contain species with different flower shapes, and thus

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1