My theme this year is wild flowers. Most of us will be aware of the flowers that grow in our gardens but what surprises me is how few wild flowers that I know.
I pass them every day but rarely look at them. Well this year will be different - even if many of them may fall under the letter 'X' for unknown.
'S' - Solomon's Seal, Sow Thistle
I have only seen this wild flower once and it took me some time to identify it.
The ribbed, lance-shaped leaves appear alternately up the curved stems. Tubular cream flowers, tipped with green, hang from each leaf node like pearls.
I discovered the plant alongside a disused farm road but apparently it is a woodland plant.
Much less impressive and what I've always regarded as a weed is the -
I pass them every day but rarely look at them. Well this year will be different - even if many of them may fall under the letter 'X' for unknown.
'S' - Solomon's Seal, Sow Thistle
I have only seen this wild flower once and it took me some time to identify it.
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| Solomon's seal |
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| Solomon's seal |
I now know that, in autumn, the flowers are followed by black fruit so this year I shall have to look for it then.
Its name refers to the shape of the scars on the leaf stock, said to resemble (apparently you need to use your imagination) the six-pointed star, like the Star of David, of the biblical King Solomon.
I discovered the plant alongside a disused farm road but apparently it is a woodland plant.
Much less impressive and what I've always regarded as a weed is the -
 |
| Sow thistle |
The smooth sow thistle hardly differs from the prickly variety other than its foliage is darker, less glossy and has less prickly edges.
When its stems are broken it exudes a thick white sap, Pigs that eat it are said to have an increased milk flow after giving birth - hence its 'sow' name.
I've never tried it but when boiled and smothered it tastes like spinach. You may also eat it raw in salads - not that I would be brave enough.
