Plants are essential to everyone's lives. Welcome to Plantlife.

Plant & fungi species

Exquisite, wildly varied and often surprising, plants and fungi are the essential fabric of our countryside upon which all other wildlife depends.

Have a browse through the list below to find out more about our wild plants and fungi. Please be aware that this is a work in progress and currently contains only a small selection of our full floral heritage. Over time we aim to keep adding to it until we build a complete database.

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Adder’s-tongue spearwort

A pretty plant with small, bright yellow buttercup-like flowers. The leaves ...
Agrimony

Spiky and yellow, this plant grows in single stems to 60cm in size. The ...
Alexanders

A large plant that grows up to 1.5 metres tall and has a thick main stem ...
Alpine blue-sow-thistle

A handsome plant with tall rough stems and heads of large blue ...
Alpine catchfly

A small but hardy plant that produces tufty pink flowers in spring. Its ...
Alpine forget-me-not

The sky-blue flowers of this perennial plant are almost identical to those ...
Alpine gentian

This sweet 'gentian of the snows' is among the botanical gems of Ben Lawers, ...
Alpine lady's-mantle

A sprawling plant that thrives on acid rocks of NW England and ...
Annual knawel

A small rather easily overlooked plant with inconspicuous tiny green ...
Artist’s bracket

This bracket fungus is often found near the base of or on the stumps of old ...
Atlantic lejeanea

A tiny, leafy liverwort.DistributionIt is very restricted in distribution, ...
Autumn crocus

A small flowering plant that turns a vivid purple in autumn. Autumn crocus ...
Baltic bog-moss

An attractive moss.It can be difficult to spot, since it resembles and ...
Beaked beardless moss

A small moss that grows in loose tufts on damp soil or drying mud. It has ...
Bearberry

A trailing shrub, it has black berries and delicately-veined leaves that ...
Bee orchid

A small, pretty orchid that mimics a bumblebee visiting a pink flower. This ...
Bell heather

Bell heather announces the brief blaze of colour on the moors at the end of ...
Bilberry

Also known as the huckleberry, whorlberry and, in Scotland, blaeberry. A ...
Bloody crane's-bill

A wildflower with five-petalled, cup-shaped flowers on slim stems. The ...
Bluebell

A vibrant blue flower that probably needs no introduction. Its narrow ...
Blunt bryum

An attractive, upright moss. It is a small plant and can be distinguished ...
Bog asphodel

The golden spires of bog asphodel light up the dark, peaty places after ...
Bog-rosemary

A beautiful relative of heather.The delicate pink bells and rosemary-like ...
Bogbean

A flower of dark, moorland waters. Bogbean's feathery flowers are somewhat ...
Box

Box, a classic of formal hedging, is a native shrub. However it is under ...
Bracken

The uncoiling new growth of bracken is one of our treasures in the wild, the ...
Bramble

A rambling plant with delicate white or pink flowers which are followed ...
Branched Bur-reed

An quirky looking waterside plant with spherical flowers. Branched bur-reed ...
Broad-fruited cornsalad

A small plant with tender leaves, very like the well-known lamb’s ...
Broad-leaved cudweed

An attractive, silvery-green plant that holds heads of tiny hidden flowers ...
Brooklime

A sprawling herb with a dense mass of rounded, succulent leaves. Spikes of ...
Broom

The dazzling, vanilla-scented flowers of broom brighten many moors. It is a ...
Brown galingale

A small rush-like plant with little brown nutlets on its triangular stems. ...
Buck’s horn plantain

A rather individual plant: slender stems bearing four-petalled flowers arch ...
Bugle

A common, creeping plant with spikes of purplish blue flowers.Bugle is a ...
Burnt orchid

Named after the tip of the flower which appears scorched - a deep crimson ...
Butterbur

Flower spikes of tiny pale pink flowers arranged down stems 10-40cm tall ...
Chamomile

A small, attractive, creeping plant with daisy-like flowers and feathery ...
Cheddar pink

Ever since its discovery 300 years ago, this pretty, scented pink has been ...
Chickweed wintergreen

Also known as the 'Arctic starflower', chickweed wintergreen is one of the ...
Chiltern gentian

With bright purple petals, this wildflower is one of the prettiest of the ...
Ciliate strap-lichen

A white, branching lichen. Distinctive long black hairs round the edge of ...
Cleavers

A ‘clinging’ plant that climbs and rambles over other plants. ...
Cloudberry

A miniature bramble of high, cloudy places. The large white flowers and ...
Clustered bellflower

A short but beautiful wildflower. Eyecatching and hard to miss, clustered ...
Colt's-foot

A pretty yellow flower, shaped like a disk, with straight needle-like ...
Columbine

A fanciful plant with sacred reputation - whether to Venus (it was allegedly ...
Common bird's-foot trefoil

Also known as 'eggs and bacon' because of the yellow and orange hue of the ...
Common butterwort

The striking triangular leaves, with their rolled edges, appear in a star ...
Common cotton-grass

Fluffy, cotton-like flower and seed heads give this distinctive plant its ...
Common cow-wheat

The pretty little pale yellow flowers look rather like they are trying to ...
Common dog-violet

The most common wild violet in the UK. It has distinctive bluish-purple ...
Common hair-cap moss

Also known as "great Goldilocks" on account of its hirsute appearance.It is ...
Common milkwort

A plant of many colours, although most commonly dark-blue (it can also be ...
Common poppy

The symbol of rememberance, the striking red flowers of the common poppy ...
Common sorrel

Once cultivated as a vegetable, common sorrel is now often on the menu for ...
Common spotted-orchid

The UK's most common orchid (as its name suggests).The spires of the ...
Coralroot orchid

Despite its name, this orchid doesn't have roots in the truest sense of the ...
Corn buttercup

A smaller relative of the more common buttercups with a paler lemon-yellow ...
Corn cleavers

This plant is rather like the common cleaver, being a rough, straggly plant ...
Cornflower

An iconic image of rural meadows, with a pretty, bright blue flower on a ...
Cornish heath

The County Flower of Cornwall.The blooms of this shrub have a distinctive ...
Cotoneaster species

Non-native invasive plants. Cotoneasters provide an important reminder that ...
Cow parsley

The lace-like quality of the white flowers seen in abundance along roadsides ...
Cowbane

The frothy blossoms of cowbane often adorn ponds and ditches. Its stem is ...
Cowberry

A dwarf evergreen shrub with white or pink bell-shaped flowers in short, ...
Cowslip

One of the best known spring flowers, cowslips are both an adornment of ...
Creeping lady’s-tresses

This attractive wild orchid has small white flowers twisting up the stem, as ...
Cross-leaved heath

Similar to bell heather but its pink flowers are larger (0.7cm) and bloom in ...
Crowberry

A mat-forming shrub with tiny purple starry flowers that nestle between ...
Cuckooflower

Also known as 'lady's smock'. An attractive wildflower with pale lilac - or ...
Curly waterweed

A non-native invasive plant. This waterweed, and others similar to it (like ...
Daffodil (wild)

The wild daffodil is small in comparison to garden varieties, with paler ...
Daisy

A common sight across the UK, daisies are a delightful sign that spring has ...
Dark-red helleborine

This rare and beautiful wild orchid forms a splash of deep-red colour on ...
Date-coloured waxcap

This fungus has a dark brown cap.As its name suggests, this has a waxy feel. ...
Deptford pink

A stunning pink flower and a wild relative of the popular garden plant Sweet ...
Devil's matchstick

Also known as 'British soldier'. A quirky lichen with red-capped branches ...
Devil’s-bit scabious

A tall plant with rounded purple-blue flowers that look like a pin ...
Dog-rose

A deciduous shrub which blossoms with pale pink flowers, each formed of five ...
Dorset heath

A defining species of Dorset's special heaths and bogs. Dorset heath's long, ...
Dryad's saddle

Also known as 'pheasant's back'. The name ‘Dryad's saddle’ ...
Dune helleborine

Very similar to the narrow-lipped helleborine, the two were actually thought ...
Early gentian

This little plant has beautiful purple flowers up the stem and small pointed ...
Evergreen oak (holm oak)

A non-native invasive plant. As its name suggests, the evergreen oak keeps ...
Eyebright

A tiny white wildflower thats worth a closer look.Although each bloom is ...
False-acacia

A non-native invasive plant. False-acacia is extensively planted in the UK ...
Fen orchid

One of our rarer plants, its pretty pale yellow flowers liven up our ...
Fingered speedwell

A low-growing, hairy plant with deep blue flowers. Its leaves rarely grow ...
Flamingo moss

This moss has distinctive spore bearing structures that look a little like a ...
Floating pennywort

A non-native invasive plant. This plant forms dense mats that float across ...
Fly agaric

Bright red with white spots, the fly agaric is the archetypal toadstool. ...
Foxglove

This well known and easily recognisable wildflower has tall spikes which can ...
Fritillary

The chequered purple bells of this attractive wildflower nod on snaky ...
Fuchsia

‘Beneath the Fuchsia tree' is a Manx expression, and on the Isle of ...
Ghost orchid

Its spooky name is rather apt: the ghost orchid is a pale flower - lacking ...
Giant hogweed

A non-native invasive plant.Giant hogweed grows up to 6 m tall. Its height ...
Gipsywort

Tiny white flowers nestle in ruff-like swirls at the base of each leaf along ...
Globeflower

Bright yellow and globe-shaped with ‘locked-up' chrysanthemum-like ...
Gorse

A spiny evergreen shrubs with yellow flowers. Few plants make such an impact ...
Grass-of-Parnassus

A flower of cold beauty and a symbol of 'the wilderness and wet'. Also known ...
Grass-poly

A low-growing plant, with a branched stem that sometimes creeps along the ...
Great willowherb

Great willowherb, as its name suggests, is the largest natural willowherb ...
Greater plantain

Greenish plant with flower spikes up to 10-14cm long. A basal rosette of ...
Green-winged orchid

The harlequin of orchids, found flowering in meadows in late spring. Its ...
Grey mouse-ear

A small, inconspicuous plant with small white starry flowers and greyish ...
Ground pine

Also known as bugleweed and carpet bugle.Ground pine is small plant with ...
Harebell

Harebell is a flower of dry, open, windy places from the hills to the sea. ...
Hart's-tongue fern

This evergreen plant has long, tongue shaped leaves with a pointy end. The ...
Heather

Also known as 'ling' this is the classic heathland plant. If you see a ...
Hebridean spotted-orchid

This plant is believed to be a low-growing form of the much more widespread ...
Hedge woundwort

Hedge woundwort's tall spires of red flowers can often be found brightening ...
Hemlock

The white flowers appear in dome shaped rounded clumps, which are usually ...
Hemp-agrimony

A large plant (1-2m) often found in clumps with big, fluffy heads of tiny ...
Herb-Robert

A pretty, pink flower commonly found in shady places. It has five petals, ...
Himalayan knotweed

A non-native invasive plant.This plant has been grown in cultivation but is ...
Holly

An evergreen plant, known for its prickly leaves and bright red berries ...
Holy-grass

A delicate, scented grass. Habitat Wet grassland. Best time to seeFlowers ...
Honeysuckle

A deciduous climber famous for its heady scent on summer evenings. Its ...
Hop

Wild hops are unobtrusive climbers in hedgerow and thickets and are ...
Indian (Himalayan) balsam

A non-native invasive plant.Indian balsam spreads quickly as it can project ...
Irish lady’s-tresses

This beautiful small wild orchid has small creamy-white flowers coiling in ...
Ivy

A well-known evergreen woody climber. Ivy is often found carpeting the ...
Jacob's-ladder

Also known as Greek valerian. A plant with brilliant blue cup-shaped flowers ...
Japanese knotweed

A non-native invasive plant.Japanese knotweed is one of the most pernicious ...
Juniper

A prickly shrub in the Cypress family with short spiky leaves. Juniper ...
Large-flowered waterweed

A non-native invasive plant. This submerged aquatic plant flowers only in ...
Lemon disco

Also known as 'yellow fairy cups' this funky, fluorescent fungus grows on ...
Lesser celandine

The pretty, star-like flowers create wonderful blanket of yellow upon the ...
Lesser water-plantain

A delicate aquatic plant with long, curving stems that root wherever they ...
Limestone woundwort

This very rare flower occurs only in Denbigh and Gloucestershire. ...
Long-headed poppy

A striking flower, with large rounded petals held together in a bowl shape. ...
Lords-and-ladies

Also often known as the 'cuckoo pint', a plant with shiny arrow shaped ...
Maiden pink

A charming evergreen perennial forming a mat of green foliage with narrow ...
Maltese-cross

A flower of many names, it is also known as 'nonsuch', 'Jerusalem cross' and ...
Marsh cinquefoil

Marsh cinquefoil's intense magenta hue brightens up the wet places in which ...
Marsh clubmoss

A simple plant related to both ferns and mosses, but looking more like a ...
Marsh-marigold

Also known as 'kingcups' this stout wildflower could be one of our most ...
Meadow clary

This handsome plant has striking blue flowers in a spike on the stem and ...
Meadow crane's-bill

A horticultural favourite, even before Elizabethan times. Meadow ...
Mistletoe

Mistletoe has long been regarded as a magical plant - capable of growing ...
Monkeyflower

A non-native flower with yellow and red-spotted ‘monkey faces'. ...
Mountain pansy

The largest of the native pansies. Sometimes purple, sometimes yellow, this ...
Multi-fruited river-moss

A robust, yet ecologically vulnerable, moss. Multi-fruited river-moss ...
Narrow-leaved cudweed

A small plant with silvery-grey leaves and small clusters of little yellow ...
Narrow-leaved helleborine

An pretty orchid with long narrow leaves and oval white flowers with orange ...
Navelwort

So named because of the navel-like depressions in the centre of its fleshy, ...
New Zealand pigmyweed (Australian swamp-stonecrop)

A non-native invasive plant.This plant may also be mis-labelled as Tillaea ...
Nottingham catchfly

A pinkish-white wildflower with hairy leaves that fills the evening air with ...
Olive Earth-tongue

An olive green fungus. It belongs to the group called Earth-tongues, ...
One-flowered wintergreen

This delightful plant used to be called St Olaf’s Candlestick. It has ...
Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage

County flower of Clackmannanshire. This pretty if clumsily-named plant forms ...
Oxeye daisy

Large and daisy-like, the oxeye is a sign that summer has arrived. It tends ...
Oxlip

Oxlips appear similar to both primroses and cowslips, being halfway between ...
Pale bristle-moss

A rare (in the UK) green moss.Pale bristle-moss is small, loosely tufted ...
Parrot's-feather

A non-native invasive plant. This popular but vigorous pond plant is still ...
Pasqueflower

A low, hairy but beautiful wildflower with feathery leaves and large, ...
Perfoliate penny-cress

A small greyish plant with a cluster of white flowers at the top of the ...
Petalwort

An attractive liverwort. It has dissected edges to its fronds, giving the ...
Pheasant's-eye

A very attractive plant with deep red cup-shaped flowers that resemble an ...
Pickerel weed

A non-native invasive plant. This plant is extremely popular in water ...
Pillwort

This tiny plant is a type of creeping fern. It is hard to spot because it ...
Pink waxcap

Also known as the 'Ballerina'. This fungus has a pointed rose-pink cap that ...
Pirri-pirri-bur

A non-native invasive plant. Originating from Australia and New Zealand, ...
Prickly poppy

An impressive flower with easy to see large red petals. Looks similar to ...
Primrose

One of surest signs that spring is on the way. The name primrose actually ...
Puffball (common)

This puffball mushroom has a top covered in short spines which quickly rub ...
Purple loosestrife

Spiky in appearance this pleasant purple plant can grow up to one and a half ...
Purple ramping-fumitory

A large-flowered fumitory with broad and flat leaves. Like many fumitories ...
Purple saxifrage

A flower that likes cliff-edges and rocks, and flowers early in the year, ...
Pyramidal orchid

So-called because of its highly distinctive pyramid shaped head of bright ...
Radnor lily

An exquisite yellow flower, also known as 'early-star-of-Bethlehem'. As the ...
Red campion

A soft, hairy plant with deep pink flowers and oval or oblong leaves. Red ...
Red clover

While not as common as it's white relation, red clover is still often found ...
Red dead-nettle

Also known as red or sweet archangel, this stingless nettle has pink-purple ...
Red hemp-nettle

A short but conspicuous plant with a spike of two-lipped red flowers at the ...
Red rose

A floral favourite of many gardens, the true red rose is said to be Rosa ...
Red-tipped cudweed

A small plant resembling a tiny thistle but with hidden flowers clustered at ...
Reedmace

The reedmace's brown, sausage-shaped seed heads are an iconic sight in ...
Reindeer moss

Despite its name reindeer moss is actually a lichen (in fact it is also ...
Rhododendron

A non-native invasive plant. The rhododendron was a favourite of the ...
Ribwort plantain

The long stalks of this plant, with their distinctive, spear-shaped ...
Rock nail

An inconspicuous lichen with a diffuse yellowish-green thallus (the main ...
Rock-rose

A flower as yellow as sunshine which also likes warm, sunny places. Can be ...
Rosebay willowherb

A striking wild plant with tall spires of large pink flowers and leaves that ...
Rough mallow

Also known as 'hairy mallow' due to the fine hairs that grow on its leaves ...
Round-headed rampion

A deep blue, almost purple wildflower that is not as it seems: each head, ...
Round-leaved sundew

Also known as common sundew. This crimson carnivore, heaves with glues and ...
Sap-groove lichen

A lichen has a grey-green crust. Its brown or black fruits resemble small ...
Scarlet pimpernel

A sprawling but pretty plant. As its name suggests, the scarlett pimpernal ...
Scottish dock

A giant among docks. The towering russet spires of Scottish dock are ...
Scottish primrose

The ultimate northerner in our flora, Scots Primrose grows on coastal ...
Sea aster

Bursting with colour, asters have been stars of British gardens since ...
Sea campion

A pretty white flower with distinctive, fleshy leaves. Sea Campion is ...
Sea holly

Tall, spiky and blue-ish-green, sea holly certainly has a distinctive ...
Sea kale

Sea kale is one of the few vegetables we really can call our own. Unlike ...
Sealoch egg-wrack

A distinctive golden seaweed. Sealoch egg wrack is unusual in that it ...
Selfheal

A quirky violet-blue wildflower with a squarish, compact head. Its leaves ...
Serrated wintergreen

A small plant with a spike of small pale-greenish, nodding, bell-like ...
Shaggy inkcap

A common fungus that usually grows on buried dead wood. The gills beneath ...
Shallon

A non-native invasive plant. A native of North America, this relative of ...
Sheeps sorrel

Similar to common sorrel but smaller in size.Its flowers are small and ...
Shepherd’s-needle

This little plant is a member of the carrot family, with groups of small ...
Shetland mouse-ear

An attractive sight against the dark background of loose rocks near the sea. ...
Shore dock

A dock with greyish leaves and tiny green or reddish-brown flowers in whorls ...
Shrubby cinquefoil

A very colourful, compact, deciduous native plant. Grows masses of bright ...
Silverweed

As its name suggests, the leaves of this wildflower have a silvery sheen. ...
Skunk-cabbage (American and Asian)

Non-native invasive plants. Both American and Asian skunk-cabbage ...
Small-flowered catchfly

A neat campion with small white flowers and sticky stems and ...
Snowdon lily

The pride of Wales, this dainty alpine is confined to Snowdon and its ...
Snowdrop

A much-anticipated sight in the winter months, the snowdrop's slim green ...
Spiked rampion

A member of the bellflower family with unusual creamy-white spikes.According ...
Spiked speedwell

A deep violet-blue perennial whose flowers form a pyramid shape. The ...
Spotted rock-rose

A flower of the west coast, the largest colonies of spotted rock-rose lie on ...
Spreading bellflower

A delicate plant with well spaced branches with large, blue, star-like ...
Spreading hedge-parsley

A low, widely branching plant with small white flowers grouped into umbels. ...
Spring cinquefoil

Also known as 'spotted cinquefoil', this pretty trailing flower puts on a ...
Spring gentian

A deep blue beauty, what this wildflower lacks in size it makes up in ...
Spring squill

Flowering Spring Squill brings a violet-bluish haze to the coastal cliffs. ...
Starfruit

A distinctive water-loving plant with simple, white flowers on short stems, ...
Starved wood-sedge

A grass-like plant with long leaves. Starved wood-sedge has a few tall, ...
Sticky catchfly

A very attractive plant, rather like red campion, with a conspicuous spike ...
Stinging nettle

Patch-forming plant with stinging leaves and tassels of tiny ...
Stinking iris

Similar to the vibrant yellow iris but with smaller, dull yellow-purple ...
Summer snowflake

Poet and writer Geoffrey Grigson described it as: 'White flowers hanging in ...
Sweet violet

A low, creeping plant with fragrant flowers, usually blue-violet or white. ...
Tall reed

Also known as 'Norfolk reed'.A tall grass that grows at the edges of ...
Teasel

A favourite in dried flower displays, the teasel is a tall, tough and ...
Three-lobed crowfoot

A member of the buttercup family, but with small, white, starry flowers. ...
Thrift

An outstanding beauty of the coast. This perky pink perennial has a ...
Toadflax-leaved St John’s-wort

This little plant has lovely golden-yellow starry flowers with small leaves ...
Tower mustard

A tall, slim, grey-green plant with small creamy flowers at the top of the ...
Traveller's-joy

The feathery seed heads appear wispy and white on hedgerows over the winter ...
Tree lungwort

A beautiful, vibrantly green, leafy lichen. Its lobes look a bit like the ...
Tree of heaven

A non-native invasive plant. This deciduous tree, originally from China, is ...
Tufted vetch

Scrambling plant with 10-40 blue violet flowers in a one sided ...
Turkey oak

A non-native invasive plant. Turkey oak is a deciduous tree that has been ...
Twinflower

This beautiful plant has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem, and a ...
Veilwort

A bright green liverwort.DistributionIt is currently restricted to a few ...
Venus’s looking-glass

The shining oval fruits which appear inside the seed-capsule give rise to ...
Violet crystalwort

A flat green liverwort.Often shows violet or purplish tints (see image, ...
Viper's-bugloss

A flamboyant plant of dry banks and dunes in, the viper's-bugloss seems to ...
Warne's thread-moss

Also known as 'sea bryum', this is a handsome moss. Warne's thread-moss is ...
Water figwort

The flowers are small and bulbous in shape and are brown/red in colour.The ...
Water primrose

A non-native invasive plant. Originally introduced as an ornamental and ...
Water-violet

A delightful aquatic plant that produces spikes of delicate lilac blossom. ...
Welsh poppy

More often than not a garden escapee, the Welsh Poppy is a true native of ...
White clover

Often found in parks, banks and lawns - any type of grassland habitat - ...
White dead-nettle

The pretty white flowers appear in round clusters amongst the leaves and ...
Whorled caraway

A frothy blossom. Whorled caraway derives its name from the way its leaves ...
Wild candytuft

An charming plant with many branches that burst with white flowers when in ...
Wild carrot

Also known as Queen Anne's lace this is a dainty, frothy wildflower. Unlike ...
Wild leek

A native wild relative of the familiar garden vegetable. Wild leek has ...
Wood anemone

One of the first flowers of spring, wood anemones bloom like a galaxy of ...
Wood crane's-bill

A much-loved flower of old hay-meadows and damp, open woods , with its ...
Woodruff

Such pretty little flowers and a striking array of leaves make this plant ...
Yarrow

Yarrow's pretty little flowers, usually white but can be pink, cluster ...
Yellow horned-poppy

A bright yellow relative of the common poppy. The yellow horned-poppy ...
Yellow iris

Also known as 'yellow flag'. A tall plant (it can grow up to a meter and a ...
Yellow Whitlow grass

A dainty yellow wildflower that can only be found in Wales. Confined to ...
Young’s helleborine

A wild orchid with small, pink and green flowers and oval leaves. ...