Kingdom Plantae – Plants Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass Dilleniidae – Order Capparales – Family Brassicaceae – Mustard or Cabbage family Genus Capsella Medik. – capsella Species Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. – shepherd’s purse The genus Capsella belongs to the Mustard or Cabbage family Brassicaceae. The most common species is Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). This hardy annual is of European origin but is now naturalized around the world except in […]

Kingdom Plantae Phylum Anthophyta Class Magnoliopsida Order Rosales Family Rosaceae Genus Prunus Widespread in Britain southwards of Sutherland and Caithness and reaching altitudes of up to 415m in Yorkshire. Elsewhere, this shrub is found in Europe with the exceptions of the far north and north-east, and extends as far east as Iran. It also occurs in south-western Siberia. Blackthorn is related […]

Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Ranunculaceae Genus: Ranunculus Species: R. ficaria Lesser celandine, (Ranunculus ficaria, syn. Ficaria grandiflora Robert Ficaria verna Huds.) is a low-growing, hairless perennial plant, with fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves. According to Gilbert White, a diarist writing around 1800 in the Hampshire village of Selborne, the plants came out on February 21st, but it is […]

Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Dipsacales Family: Adoxaceae Genus: Sambucus The elder goes by many names including – Judas Tree – thought to be the tree Judas Iscariot Hung himself on. Pipe tree – It’s soft pith can be pushed out leaving a pipe shaped empty stem. Black Elder. Common Elder Bore Tree. Bour Tree. (Fourteenth Century) Hylder, […]

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: MagnoliophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: AsteralesFamily: AsteraceaeGenus: TussilagoSpecies: T. farfara Coltsfoot () is a plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include Ass’s foot, Bull’s foot, Butterbur, Coughwort, Farfara, Foal’s foot, Foalswort, Horse Foot and Winter heliotrope. The Coltsfoot name refers to the shape of the leaves. Common throughout Britain, reaching heights of up to 1065m in Scotland. Elsewhere, this species is found […]

Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Senecio Species: Senecio vulgarisSynonyms; Grundy Swallow, Ground Glutton, Simson, Sention. The name Groundsel is of old origin, being derived from the Anglo-Saxon groundeswelge, meaning literally, ‘ground swallower,’ referring to the rapid way the weed spreads. In Scotland and the north of England it is still in some localities called Grundy Swallow – only a slight corruption of […]

Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Rosoideae Genus: Rosa Species: R. canina It has been said that any plant given the name ‘dog’ was christened so because it meant that it did not smell or was inferior to other plants. It was also believed that the root was effective against the bite of a mad dog. The dog […]