The buck-bean (Menyanthes trifoliate) or bog-bean or marsh-trefoil is a perennialherb of the family Gentianaceae. It has a thick, far-creeping rhizome which bears alternate, long-stalked trifoliate leaves with sheafing bases and an erect leafless stem topped by a raceme of numerous five-lobed white or pinkish coloured flowers. It is common in boggy soils and at the edges of ponds and lakes, and is found in England, Europe and North America. It is a bitter tasting plant and was once used as a tonic. Research Buck-bean
Bulbous corydalis (Corydalis cava) or bird in the bush, is a highly poisonous perennialherb of the family Fumariaceae, with a large, hollow, globose underground tuber with wiry roots. The stem is erect and bears two biternate lobed leaves, bluish-green below and light green above. The flowers are irregularly shaped, violet or white in colour, and arranged in a solitary terminal raceme. The upper petal is drawn out into a long apically curved spur. Bulbous corydalis is found throughout Europe and neighbouring Asia growing in open woods and hedgerows. Research Bulbous Corydalis
Dwarf milkwort (Polygala amara) or bitter milkwort, is a perennialherb of the family Polygalaceae, native to Europe, occurring chiefly in central Europe, with a branched rhizome and a short, erect or ascending stem, woody at the base, which bears small lanceolate leaves. The larger obovate to elliptic basal leaves are arranged in a dense rosette. The flowers are blue in colour and arranged in a terminal raceme. The two inner sepals are petal- like and much larger than the three outer ones and are arranged on either side of the three true petals, which are joined at the base, the largest and lower one keeled and fringed. The fruit is a two-seeded heart-shaped capsule. Research Dwarf Milkwort
Lily-of-the-valley is a highly poisonous perennialherb of the family Liliaceae with a tangle of underground rhizomes which in spring, bear stalked, broadly elliptic leaves, two on each stem, and later a scape with a one-sided raceme of drooping, white, sweet-scented, bell-shaped flowers. The fruit is a bright red globose berry. Lily-of-the-valley grows in the undergrowth of shady woods, in thickets and hedgerows mostly on soils rich in lime. Research Lily-of-the-Valley
Pitcairnia is a genus of tropical American herbs, with a few shrubs, mostly without stems, and bearing their leaves in a crowded rosette. The genus is a subdivision of the family Bromeliaceae. The flowers are generally reddish or white, the three large lanceolate sepals being adnate to the base of the ovary, and the three lingulate petals being about twice as long as the sepals. The inflorescence is generally a raceme. Research Pitcairnia
Radish (Raphanus satvius) is an annual or biennial plant of the family Cruciferae with a round to spindle-shaped tuberous root, irregularly lobed, toothed leaves, and cross-shaped white to purplish flowers arranged in a longish terminal raceme. It has been used as a vegetable since ancient Egyptian times, being cultivated by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The British wild radish is Raphanus raphanistrum, also known as runch in Scotland and the north of England. Research Radish
Rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) or fireweed is a perennialherb of the family Onagraceae with a creeping rhizome and a tall, erect, usually unbranched leafy stem. The leaves are alternate and lanceolate with entire or slightly toothed and undulate margins. The flowers are rose-coloured and arranged in a long terminal raceme. The fruit is a long, four-valved capsule with many plumed seeds. Research Rosebay Willowherb
White mustard (Sinapis alba) is an annual herb of the family Cruciferae native to the Mediterranean region, with an erect, unbranched stem. The leaves are alternate, stalked, toothed, lyrate and deeply pinnately lobed with the terminal lobe being the largest. The flowers are yellow in colour and arranged in a raceme, the sepals spreading out horizontally below the petals. White mustard is widely cultivated for its oil, for fodder and for culinary mustard. Research White Mustard
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Buck-bean
