More medicinal uses of our native Apiaceae or ‘Umbels’

In this post we’ll talk mostly about the medicinal uses I found in the family of Umbels or Apiaceae as they are now called.

We introduced this family with a post on the most ‘detested’ member called the Ground Elder which you can find here.

After this came an entire list of our native ones as well as the edible uses of our garden Umbels.

Wild Angelica or Angelica sylvestris is a native and less harsh one then its garden relative, Angelica archangelica  see more below

Most of the below information is of the brilliant book by Julian Barker: Medicinal Flora of Britain and Northwestern Europe

Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated in link.

Contents:

Eryngium maritimum or Sea-holly

Scandix pecten-veneris or Shepard’s Needle

Coriandrum sativum or Coriander

Pimpinella saxifraga or Burnet-saxifrage

Crithmum maritimum or Rock Samphire

Oenanthe crocata or Hemlock Water-dropwort

Foeniculum vulgare or Fennel

Conium maculatum or Poison Hemlock

Visnaga daucoides or Toothpick Plant

Apium graveolens or Wild Celery

Petroselinum crispum or Parsley

Carum carvi or Caraway

Ligusticum scoticum or Scots Lovage

 Angelica sylvestris or Wild Angelica

A. archangelica or Garden Angelica

 Levisticum officinale or Lovage

Imperatoria ostruthium or Masterwort

Peucedanum officinale or Hog’s Fennel, Sulphurweed

Heracleum spondhylium or Hogweed

Daucus carota or Wild Carrot

Myrrhis odorata or Sweet Cicely

Sanicula europaea  or Sanicle

Continue reading “More medicinal uses of our native Apiaceae or ‘Umbels’”

The Carrot or Umbellifer Family and their uses!

Pignut is one of the Apiaceae, flowering en masse here at Bury Hill Park near Dudley (Picture by Mike Poulton)

I’ve always liked the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae as they were formerly known as! And everybody knows the carrot so it is also known as the Carrot family.

It is easily recognisable, especially the second subfamily, which are the true ‘Umbels’.

In another post the Ground-elder was fully described for all its useful attributes and this week I hope to tackle all the others in the last family of all the Dicot families in Stace. In another post the Medicinal properties of the Apiaceae are highlighted.

It is a large family with 50 genera and many genera have just the one native species or a few species. 

Several of our root vegetables and herbs belong to this family, although these are cultivated forms and the wild species of which they originated are mostly not native (NN in list below) to the British Isles.

I’ve used Wikipedia, PFAF or other websites a lot again as they have such valuable information about the individual species and their uses.

Also links with the online atlas of the British and Irish Flora of the Biological Records Centre in order to find out the natural habitats of the plants.

Medicinal Uses mostly came from the  Med Flora by J. Barker as well as from the Plants for a Future website.

Pictures with gratitude by Matt Summers, Mike Poulton and Wikipedia Commons.

FBBC is added behind the Common Name in the contents below if the plant occurs in the ‘Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country’

Contents:

Identifying the Apiaceae or Carrot Family

Subfamily 1: Saniculoideae

Sanicula europaea  or Sanicle FBBC

Eryngium maritimum or Sea-holly

Subfamily 2: Apioidea

Chaerophyllum temulum or Rough Chervil FBBC

Anthriscus sylvestris or Cow Parsley, Wild Chervil or Wild Parsley FBBC

  • A. caucalis or Bur Chervil FBBC
  • A. cerefolium or Garden Chervil
  • Scandix  pecten-veneris or Shepard’s-needle FBBC

Myrrhis odorata or Sweet Cicely FBBC

  • Coriandrum sativum or Coriander FBBC

Smyrnium olusatrum or Alexander FBBC

  • Bunium bulbocastanum or Great Pignut

Conopodium majus or Pignut FBBC

Pimpinella saxifraga or Burnet-saxifrage FBBC

  • Pimpinella major  or Greater Burnet Saxifrage FBBC

Aegopodium podagraria or Ground Elder FBBC

Berula erecta or Lesser Water-parsnip FBBC

Crithmum maritimum or Rock Samphire

Seseli libanotis or Moon Carrot

Oenanthe spp. (7 native) Water-dropworts

  • Oenanthe fistulosa or Tubular Water-dropwort FBBC
  • O. pimpinelloides or Corky-fruited Water-dropwort FBBC
  • O. lachenallii or Parsley Water-dropwort FBBC
  • O. silaifolia or Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort
  • O. fluviatilis or River Water-dropwort

O. crocata or Hemlock Water-dropwort FBBC

O. aquatica or Fine leaved Water-dropwort FBBC

Aethusa cynapium or Fool’s Parsley FBBC

Foeniculum vulgare var. sativum or Fennel (Arch). FBBC

  • Anethum graveolens or Dill FBBC
  • Silaum silaus or Pepper-saxifrage FBBC

Meum athamanticum or Spignel

  • Physospermum cornubiense or Bladderseed

Conium maculatum or Hemlock FBBC

Bupleurum spp. or Hare’s-ears

  • Bupleurum rotundifoliumor Hare’s ear 
  • B. falcatum or Sickle-leaved Hare’s-ear
  • B. tenuissimum or Slender Hare’s-ear
  • B. baldense or Small Hare’s ear
  • B. subovatum or False Thorow-wax FBBC
  • Trinia glauca or Honewort
  • Cuminum cymimum 

Apium graveolens or Wild Celery FBBC

  • Helosciadium repens or Creeping Marshwort
  • H. nodiflorum or Fool’s -water-cress FBBC
  • H. inundatum or Lesser Marshwort FBBC
  • Trachyspermum ammi or Ajowan
  • Ridolfia segetum or False Fennel

Sison segetum or Corn Parsley

  • Sison amomum or Stone Parsley FBBC
  • Cicuta virosa or Cowbane
  • Ammi majus or Bullwort FBBC
  • Visnaga daucoides or Toothpick-plant FBBC
  • Falcaria vulgaris or Longleaf

Carum carvi or Caraway FBBC

  • Carum verticillatum or Whorled caraway
  • Selinum carvifolia or Cambridge Milk-parsley

Ligusticum scoticum or Scots Lovage

  • Levisticum officinale or Lovage FBBC

Angelica sylvestris or Wild Angelica FBBC

  • Angelica archangelica or Garden Angelica or Archangelica FBBC
  • Ferula communis or Giant Fennel

Peucedanum officinale or Hog’s Fennel

  • Imperatoria ostruthium or Masterwort & Imperatoria
  • Thysselinum palustre or Milk-parsley

Pastinaca sativa ssp. sylvestris or Wild Parsnip FBBC

Heracleum spondylium or Hogweed or Cow parsnip FBBC

  • H. mantegazzianum or Giant Hogweed FBBC
  • Tordylium maximum or Hartwort

Torilis spp. or Hedge-parsleys

  • Torilis japonica or Upright Hedge Parsley FBBC
  • T. nodosa or Knotted Hedge Parsley

Daucus carota ssp. carota or Wild Carrot FBBC

Petroselinum crispum or Garden Parsley FBBC

Anthriscus cerefolium or Garden Chervil

 

 

Continue reading “The Carrot or Umbellifer Family and their uses!”

Some more useful members of Pink Family or the Caryophyllaceae Part 2

Sea campion or Silene uniflora at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, Dorset (picture by Mike Poulton)

This is the second part of useful (with many ornamental) members of the Pink family or officially the Caryophyllaceae. The first part can be found here.

I am very fond of this family as well and have been growing several native and non native species from seed.

In part 2 there are four more members mentioned by Julian Barker in his Medicinal Flora, which have some medicinal use, which are Herniaria glabra or Smooth Rupturewort, Spergularia rubra or Sand Spurrey, Agrostemma githago or Corn-Cockle and Saponaria officinalis or Soapwort.

Click links for more info and pictures from various websites. Scientific/Latin Name usually has link from the Online Atlas of the British Isles and Irish Flora. Pink background means a warning use (= poisonous!) or medicinal use, green for other uses and blue for plant habitat, interesting facts or wildlife use.

If described in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country it will be highlighted by FBBC in the Content page.

In Part 1 we covered Subfamily Alsinoideae which has 11 genera. In Part 2 we will cover another 11 genera in 2 subfamilies:

  • 2 Subfamily Paronychioideae with 5 genera (genera 12-17)
  • 3 Subfamily Caryophylloideae with 6 genera (genera 18-24)

Contents:

Subfamily 2 PARONYCHIOIDEAE

12 Corrigiola litoralis or Strapwort

13 Herniaria spp.or Ruptureworts

  • H. glabra or Smooth Rupturewort
  • H. ciliolata or Fringed Rupturewort and 2 ssp. a) Ssp ciliolata & Ssp. subciliata
  • H. hirsuta or Hairy Rupturewort

14 Illecebrum verticillatum or Coral-necklace

15 Polycarpon tetraphyllum or Four-leaved Allseed

16 Spergula spp. or Spurreys

  • S. arvensis or Corn Spurrey with also 3 different varieties. FBBC
  • S. morisonnii or Pearlwort Spurrey

17 Spergularia ssp. or Sea-spurreys

  • S. rupicola or Rock Sea-spurrey
  • S. media or Greater Sea-spurrey
  • S. marina or Lesser Sea-spurrey FBBC
  • S. rubra or Sand Spurrey FBBC
  • S. bocconei or Greek Sea-spurrey

Subfamily 3 CARYOPHYLLOIDEAE

18 Agrostemma githago or Corncockle FBBC

19 Silene spp. or Campions

20 Saponaria officinalis or Soapwort FBBC

21 Vaccaria hispanica or Cowherb FBBC

22 Petrorhagia spp. or Pinks

  • P. nanteuilii or Childing Pink
  • P. prolifera or Proliferous Pink
  • P. dubia or Hayling Island Pink
  • P. saxifraga or Tunicflower

23 Gypsophila paniculata or Baby’s-breath FBBC

G. elegans or Annual Baby’s-breath

24 Dianthus spp or Pinks

Continue reading “Some more useful members of Pink Family or the Caryophyllaceae Part 2”

Caryophyllaceae Part 1: the Alsinoideae or Sandworts, Chickweeds, Mouse-Ears, Pearlworts and Knawels.

A typical sprawling plant of Chickweed (picture by I, Hugo – Wikipedia)

Chickweed or Stellaria media

is one of the weeds mentioned on the RHS site.

So a good reason for a post on this plant and its relatives!

The Caryophyllaceae or Pink/Campion Family is a large family in the B.I.   It is therefore subdivided into 3 Subfamilies:

Links on the scientific names is info from the Plant Atlas 2020. Links on the common names are often Wikipedia, where you can also find pictures in Wikipedia Commons or occasionally from another website. The coloured backgrounds are blue for the habitat information as found in the Online Plant Atlas 2020 as well as for general interesting facts. Green is for all sorts of uses such as food, ornamental, wildlife, etc. Pink is for medicinal use.

If described in the Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country it will be highlighted by FBBC in the Content page.

Contents of Subfamily Alsinoideae:

1 Arenaria spp. or Sandworts

  • A. serpyllifolia or Thyme-leaved Sandwort FBBC
  • A. leptoclados or Slender Sandwort FBBC
  • A. norvegia with 2 subspecies: ssp norvegia or Arctic Sandwort and ssp anglica or English Sandwort
  • A. ciliata or Fringed Sandwort
  • A. balearica or Mossy Sandwort FBBC
  • A. montana or Large-flowered Sandwort

2 Moehringia trinervia or Three-nerved Sandwort FBBC

3 Honckenya peploides or Sea Sandwort

4 Minuartia spp.

  • M. recurva or Recurved Sandwort

5 Sabulina tenuifolia or Fine-leaved Sandwort

  • S. verna or Spring Sandwort
  • S. rubella or Mountain Sandwort
  • S. stricta or Teesdale Sandwort

6 Cherleria sedoides or Cyphel

7 Stellaria spp or Chickweeds

Stellaria media or Chickweed FBBC

  • S. nemorum or Wood Stitchwort FBBC
  • S. pallida or Lesser Chickweed FBBC
  • S. neglecta or Greater Chickweed FBBC
  • S. holostea or Greater Stitchwort FBBC
  • S. palustris or Marsh Stitchwort
  • S. graminea or Lesser Stitchwort FBBC
  • S. alsine or Bog Stitchwort FBBC
  • S. aquatica or Water Chickweed (syn. Myosoton aquaticum) FBBC

8 Holosteum umbellatum or Jagged Chickweed

9 Cerastium spp or Mouse-Ears

  • C. cerastoides or Starwort Mouse-ear
  • C. arvense or Field Mouse-ear FBBC
  • C. arvense x C. tomentosum or Hybrid Mouse-Ear FBBC
  • C. tomentosum or Snow-in-summer FBBC
  • C. alpinum or Alpine Mouse-ear
  • C. nigrescens or Arctic Mouse-ear
  • C. fontanum or Common Mouse-ear FBBC
  • C. glomeratum or Sticky Mouse-ear FBBC
  • C. brachypetalum or Grey mouse-ear
  • C. diffusum or Sea Mouse-ear FBBC
  • C. pumilum or Dwarf Mouse-ear
  • C. semidecandrum or Little Mouse-ear FBBC

10 Moenchia erecta or Upright Chickweed FBBC

11 Sagina spp or Pearlworts

  • S. nodosa or Knotted Pearlwort FBBC
  • S. nivalis or Snow Pearlwort
  • S. subulata or Heath Pearlwort
  • S. saginoides or Alpine Pearlwort
  • S. x normaniana or Scottish Pearlwort
  • S. procumbens or Procumbent Pearlwort FBBC
  • S. apetala or Annual Pearlwort FBBC
  • S. filicaulis or Slender Pearlwort FBBC
  • S. maritima or Sea Pearlwort

12 Scleranthus spp or Knawels

  • S. perennis or Perennial Knawel with 2 subspecies: ssp. perennis and ssp. prostratus
  • S. annuus or Annual Knawewel with 2 subspecies: ssp. annuus and ssp. polycarpos FBBC
Continue reading “Caryophyllaceae Part 1: the Alsinoideae or Sandworts, Chickweeds, Mouse-Ears, Pearlworts and Knawels.”

Lesser Celandine, Buttercups and some other Ranunculaceae

The Lesser Celandine is happy on damp soil near the river edge.

The Lesser Celandine or Ficaria verna (formerly known as Ranunculus ficaria)  and the Creeping Buttercup or  Ranunculus repens  are both mentioned as being a weed on the RHS  website.

This decided me to write about them as well as other members of this reasonably large family of the Buttercups or Ranunculaceae. It is a rather primitive family, with its simple flowers or only number 36 in Stace.

Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated otherwise.

Continue reading “Lesser Celandine, Buttercups and some other Ranunculaceae”

Comfrey, Knitbone or Symphytum spp. are wonderful weeds!

The more common Russian Comfrey thriving on the Bee Garden at Borneo Street allotment!

There is so much information concerning the comfrey which is also, like the plants in the blog of last week, in the Boraginaceae Family. This week therefore, my post will concern itself purely with comfrey.

Pictures by Matt Summers, Mike Poulton and contributors from Wikipedia Commons.

Contents:

Symphytum spp. or Comfreys in the B.I.

The Boraginaceae or Borage Family and their uses: Green Alkanet, Forget-me-not, Houndstongue, Viper’s-bugloss, Oysterplant, the Gromwells and Lungworts!

The Pentaglottis sempervirens or Green Alkanet. (picture by Ericoides-Wikipedia)

This week I would like to talk about most of our native genera of the Boraginaceae or Borage Family. This is family number 114 in Stace.

My customers sometimes complain about 2 members of the Borage family: the Green Alkanet; scientifically known as Pentaglottis.

To a less extend they complain about the abundance of seedlings of Forget-me-nots in their gardens, but I think that is just showing off! As who can be upset when you see all that magnificent blue; they are all wonderful weeds really!

All there uses and benefits will be explained in this as well as in the next post, which is entirely about the Comfrey.

Pictures by Matt Summers, unless stated.

Blue background is for general interest, Pink as a warning or medicinal use and green background for all other known uses such as food and wildlife. Please use the jump links in the contents below also for quick access. Ecology information from PlantAtlas 2020 Online, Wikipedia

Contents

General Anatomy of the Boraginaceae

Pentaglottis sempervirens  or Green Alkanet

Myosotis or the Forget-me nots

Ornamental Use

Cynoglossum officinale or Houndstongue

Medicinal Use and Warning

Echium vulgare or Viper’s-bugloss

Warning

Mertensia maritima or Oysterplant

Lithospermum spp. or Gromwell

  • Lithospermum officinale or Common Gromwell
  • Aegonychon purpureocaeruleum or Purple/ Field Gromwell

Pulmonaria spp. or Lungworts

  • Pulmonaria obscura or Suffolk Lungwort
  • Pulmonaria officinalis or Lungwort

Continue reading “The Boraginaceae or Borage Family and their uses: Green Alkanet, Forget-me-not, Houndstongue, Viper’s-bugloss, Oysterplant, the Gromwells and Lungworts!”

Bindweeds and Dodders

This week I would like to talk about a bit of a climbing menace known as the Common or Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium). Then later about the fascinating Dodders!

The whitish rhizomes and growing shoots of Hedge Bindweed or Calystegia sepium.

Is there any use to this plant you may wonder?

Please read on and find out!

I will also write about the rest of its family; the bindweed family or Convolvulaceae!

Blue background is for general interest; pink background is for medicinal use or negative information; green background for all sorts of uses. Pictures by Matt Summers unless stated. If the plant occurs in Birmingham and the Black Country, this is mentioned as FBBC in the contents page.

The Bindweeds are in the Convolvulaceae or Bindweed family, which is number 115 in Stace in between the Boraginaceae (114) and Solanaceae (116), which is the potato family.

This family has 4 genera growing in the British Isles namely; Convolvulus,  Calystegia, Ipomoea (which are ‘introduced’, mostly ornamental climbers from N. America) and finally Cuscuta  or Dodder.

Contents:

Calystegia or Bindweeds

Convolulus arvensis or Field Bindweed FBBC

Cuscuta or Dodders

Cuscuta epithymum or Common dodder/ Devil’s Guts

C. europaeae or Greater Dodder

C. campestris or Yellow Dodder FBBC

Continue reading “Bindweeds and Dodders”

Ivy is a wildlife heaven!

The ivy on our wall has been looking fabulous again last year and providing the bees and wasps, as well as the odd butterfly some late nectar.

Then afterwards the black berries lasted until late spring as a nutritious food for our resident birds, mainly wood pigeons and blackbirds seem to enjoy them!

At present; May 2021, it is a nesting site for a couple of hedge sparrows (or dunnocks) and blackbirds.

So you could say that it is a heaven for our wildlife!

A Red Admiral posing on an Ivy flower not yet ready open! (picture by Matt Summers)

Many gardeners despise it though but it has many good uses for us too as you can find out on the following page.

Contents:

General Description

Two types of leaves

Environmental and Wildlife Uses

Toxicity and ethnomedical uses

Medicinal uses

Ornamental Use

Other Use

Continue reading “Ivy is a wildlife heaven!”

‘Heemtuin’ or Wildlife Garden in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands

Entrance to the ‘Heemtuin Nieuwkoop’ with some typical Dutch bicycles parked up!

Contents:

What is a Heemtuin?

History of the Heemtuin in the Netherlands

Willows and other features in Heemtuin Nieuwkoop

The plants and habitats re-created at Heemtuin Nieuwkoop

How to create a Heemtuin or Wildlife Garden

Growing and collecting herbs around Nieuwkoop in the last Century:

From an original article by Jan Vork from ‘Heemtuin Nieuwkoop’ (much edited and translated by Y. van der Meer)

Continue reading “‘Heemtuin’ or Wildlife Garden in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands”