British Wild Flowers: A photographic guide to every common species. Paul Sterry
Fruit
Wood Dock
Fruits
Wood Dock Rumex sanguineus HEIGHT to 1m
Upright, straggly and branched perennial of grassy woodland rides and shady meadows. FLOWERS In spikes; leafy only at the base (June–Aug). FRUITS With a single elongated wart. LEAVES Oval; basal ones heart-shaped at base, sometimes red-veined and never waisted. STATUS Widespread and common, mainly absent from Scotland.
Leaf
Fruit
Fiddle Dock
Fruits
Fiddle Dock Rumex pulcher
Upright to spreading perennial with branches spreading at right angles. Favours well-drained soil, often near the coast. FLOWERS On spikes in widely separated whorls (June–Aug). FRUITS Toothed, with 3 tubercles. LEAVES To 10cm, waisted and violin-shaped. STATUS Local, and restricted to S England and S Wales.
Marsh Dock fruit
Golden Dock fruit
Golden Dock
Marsh Dock
Golden Dock Rumex maritimus
Annual or biennial of muddy freshwater margins. Turns golden yellow in fruit. FLOWERS In dense, widely separated whorls (June–Aug). FRUITS With 3 tubercles and teeth longer than valves. LEAVES Lanceolate. STATUS Widespread but local, mainly in the south. Marsh Dock R. palustris is similar but does not turn yellow; fruit teeth shorter than valve.
Springbeauty
Springbeauty Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae)
Annual, introduced from N America; naturalised on dry, sandy soil. FLOWERS White, 5-petalled, 5mm across; in loose spikes (Apr–July). FRUITS Capsules. LEAVES Oval and stalked at the base; flowering stems bear fused pairs of perfoliate leaves. STATUS Widespread and locally abundant.
Pink Purslane
Pink Purslane Claytonia sibirica (Portulacaceae)
Annual or perennial, introduced from N America. Favours damp woods. FLOWERS Pink with darker veins, 5-petalled, 15–20mm across (Apr–July). FRUITS Capsules. LEAVES Oval, stalked at the base; flowering stems carry opposite pairs of unstalked leaves. STATUS Widely naturalised.
Blinks
Blinks Montia fontana (Portulacaceae) USUALLY PROSTRATE
Low-growing, sometimes mat-forming plant of bare, damp ground; sometimes grows partly submerged in water. Stems sometimes reddish. FLOWERS Tiny, white; in terminal clusters (May–Oct). FRUITS Rounded capsules. LEAVES Narrow oval, opposite. STATUS Widespread and common but least so in the south.
Hottentot-fig
Hottentot-fig Carpobrotus edulis (Aizoaceae)
Exotic-looking fleshy perennial, introduced from S Africa. Forms carpets on coastal cliffs and banks. FLOWERS Usually yellow (sometimes fade pinkish), 7–10cm across, many-petalled (May–Aug). FRUITS Swollen and succulent. LEAVES Dark green, succulent, 3-sided, 6–7cm long and narrow. STATUS Naturalised in the south-west.
Fathen
Fat-hen
Flowers
Fat-hen Chenopodium album (Chenopodiaceae) HEIGHT to 1m
Upright, branched annual of disturbed arable land. Often has a mealy appearance. FLOWERS Whitish green, in leafy spikes (June–Oct). FRUITS Rounded, and surrounded