© October 2011Plantlife Scotland, Balallan House, Allan Park, Stirling FK8 2QGTel +44 (0)1786 478509Email scotland@plantlife.org.ukwww.plantlife.org.uk

One in four wild plantsin Scotland today isthreatened with extinction.

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This booklet waswritten and produced by Plantlife Scotland.Plantlife Scotlandwould like to thankWilliamMilliken andSamBridgewater for their wonderful book, Flora Celtica,which provided inspiration and information for this publication.

ISBN: 978-1-907141-49-2

Plantlife International – The Wild Plant Conservation Charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee.Registered Charity Number: 1059559 Charity registered in Scotland Number: SC038951Registered Company Number: 3166339, registered in England.

Wild larder- food from the meadowsMany delicious edible wild plant species grow in Scotland. This naturallarder has the great benefit of being free and organic.

Ediblemembers of the goosefoot family, such as Fat-hen (Chenopodiumalbum), Common Orache (Atriplex patula) and Good-King-Henry(Chenopodiumbonus-henricus), all commonweeds of waste areas andfieldmargins, are delicious lightly boiled and buttered. Archaeologicalevidence shows they have been eaten in Scotland since prehistoric times.

Adventurous saladmakers useWaterMint (Mentha aquatica), Wild Chives(Allium schoenoprasum), Lady’s Smock (Cardamine pratensis), Chickweed

(Stellariamedia), Sorrel (Oxalis spp.) and Dandelion (Taraxacumofficinale). Although easily collected fromthewild, Sorrel is often in over-packaged, overpriced saladmixtures on our supermarket shelves.

In the past, scurvy-plagued seafarers ate certain seaside plants as a vital source of vitamin C.Themost famous, scurvy grass (Cochlearia spp), is not a grass at all but a relative of cabbage,andmakes an excellent ‘hot’ addition to salads.

Smelling good!In timeswhen hygienewas less highly regarded, the collectivereekwhen people crammed together, such as in church, couldbe overwhelming! Aromatic wild plants likeWoodruff (Galiumodoratum) were planted in churchyards to combat this, andcongregations would pluck and crush a few leaves on the way in.

Looking good! Highland beauty treatmentsAccording to old Gaelic texts, Caledonian ladiesmade themselves irresistibletomen by anointing their faces with an infusion of violets in goat’smilk.

Until recently, parents in Scotland oftendosed childrenwith vilemedicine, madefromwild plants with offensive flavours,to drive worms from their guts. Aninfusion of fumitory flowers in waterwas one such concoction.

Wildflowermedicinechest

“If theywud drink nettles inMarchAndmuggons inMaySaemony brawmaidensWadna gang to the clay”

From a traditional Scottish folk tale,this is amermaid's lament as shewatches a funeral procession on thebanks of the Clyde. The ‘muggons’recommended formaidenswasMugwort.

Parasitic plantsAnimal parasites, like fleas and ticks, are well known, but plants canbe parasites too. Grassland on basalt rock in Scotland is rich inWild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) on which the scarce ThymeBroomrape(Orobanche alba) is parasitic. Stealing chlorophyll from its host,it doesn’t need leaves for photosynthesis.

It's all in the name

Keeping thosepesky midges awayFeverfew (Tanacetumparthenium) was thought torepelmidges and other pests andwasworn inbuttonholes to keep them at bay. A few people stillput Bog-myrtle (Myrica gale) or wildmint (Menthaspp.) in their windows or larders in summer tokeep out flies.

Wild flowers of loveYarrow (Achilleamillefolium) was traditionally amost importantplant for finding lovers. Young girls cut Yarrow on aMaymorning,with their eyes shut, reciting a verse and placing the plantunder their pillows the following night. Their dreams, or what theyfirst sawwhen they opened their eyes, would reveal their sweetheart.Goodmorrow, goodmorrowTo thee, braw yarrow.And thrice goodmorrow to thee.I pray thee tellme today or tomorrow,What ismy true lover to be?From Flora Celtica

The Order of the ThistleThis is the highest honour awarded in Scotland. Itsmotto,Nemome impunelacessit (nobody attacksmewith impunity), was adopted in the 17th centuryand is an obvious reference to vicious prickles!Themost romantic explanation for adopting the Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)as a national symbol dates back to when Danish longships harried the Scottishcoast. According to legend, the association beganwhen a careless Viking raiderstepped on a thistle as his party attempted a surprise attack on some unwaryScots. His yell of pain alerted the defenders and the attack was beaten off.

Burry ManIn August the BurryMan, a localman chosen each year for the role, parades the streets of SouthQueensferry, frightening children and fascinating adults. His name reflects his curious outfit, acostume completely coveredwith hooked Burdock fruits or ‘burrs’ from local shale spoil heaps,where they grow abundantly. Some say he is the pagan spirit of vegetation and fertility – a spinygreenman! Others say he tours the town like walking Velcro, cleaning up evil spirits.

'Singerweed' and memoriesof the Clydeside blitzIn the SecondWorldWar the Singer sewingmachine factory onClydebank switched to weapon production, making it a target forthe blitz. The factory survived, but its timber yard burned to theground, and a profusion of RosebayWillowherb (Chamaenerionangustifolium) sprang up among the ashes. The plant has sincebeen known locally as ‘Singerweed’.

Lucky charms?Wild plants were thought to protect us and speedwell (Veronica spp) was said to keep travellersfrom harm. This led to themelancholy tale of Lieutenant-Colonel John Cameron, who carrieda charm into battlemade from a silken packet of speedwell seeds, pebbles and aminiaturepadlock. The Colonel was killed at the battle of Quatre Bras in Belgium in 1815.

The wonder of nettlesIn Scotland there is archaeological evidenceof nettles being used tomake rope formany years. The German army used nettlefibres extensively for uniforms in the FirstWorldWar, processing some 2,500 tonnesper year.

Nettles feedmany insects, for exampleSmall Tortoiseshell butterfly caterpillarsfeed only on nettles.

Nettles were cut as a nutritious cattle fodderon Hebridean islands andwere even thoughtto be a bovine aphrodisiac! Some Orkneyfarmers still value these plants for fatteningpigs and improving their condition.

Nettles have long been eaten as avegetable in Scotland. Extremelynutritious, they contain calcium,potassium, iron,manganese and vitaminsA and C. Make them into soup, add creamand sherry and you are in culinary heaven!

Lung disorders and coughswerejust two ailments treatedtraditionally with nettles.

Medieval doctors believed thatplants with parts resemblingelements of human anatomyhealed ailments in that bodypart. Bloody Crane’s-bill(Geranium sanguineum), or inGaelic ‘creachlach dearg’(red wound healer), has redveins on the petals resemblingblood vessels,so was usedto healwounds.

Juicemade fromwild iris roots wassucked up through the nose to curetoothache, a common rural ailment.

Dandelion (Taraxacumofficinale),whose common Scottish namesinclude ‘pee-the-bed’, is aneffective andwell known diureticandwas oncewidely used in thetreatment of urinary disorders.

Navigating by flowers“In the old days when themen used to go to the far haaf (fishing) they rowed out or sailedout to the fishing grounds beyond Foula ... and they could always find their way back if darknessfell or if mist came down.When thewind or breeze is laying off the land the scent of clover iswafted across the sea and this was how themen in the old days used to find their way back.”Stella Shepherd, Papa Stour (Scottish Life Archive)

The wild and wonderful world ofScotland’s Wild Flowers

The summer songSweetly scented thywreathMeadow-sweet of the cairnsIn roundbrindeld clustersAnd softly fringed tressesBeautiful and graceful

Creamyflowered, ringleted, highAround sheltered hillocks

Where thewood sorrel grows.Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair 1738

Find yoursweetheartwith Yarrow

Flies beware!

Carnivorous plants

Scottish

wild alpines

Cuddy-Lugs

Donkey’s Ears

Meadow

sweet©

LorneGillSN

H

WaterM

int©Plantlife

DogViolet©

Lorne Gill SNH

Woodruff©Plantlife

Dandelion©LorneGill SN

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BloodyCrane’s-bill©LorneGill SNH

Common

Nettle

©Lorne

GillSN

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Thyme Broomrape©Philip Goddard

©Carlen

Vigo

Yarrow©Plantlife

©Plantlife

Highland Midge©Laurie Campbell

SpearThistle

©Laurie

Cam

pbell©HazelTerry

Rosebay Willowherb©Andrew Gagg / Plantlife

Germander Speedwell©Andrew Gagg / Plantlife

Some wild flowersyou might see in Scotland...FoxgloveDigitalis purpureaThis familiar flower grows commonly inwoods, heathsand rocky places, particularly inwoodland clearings andburnedmoors. It has at least 20 Scottish names, suchasWitches’ Thimbles andBloody Bells. In the Borders,the leaveswere put in newborn babies’ cradles to keepthem frombeing bewitched andwitcheswere thoughttowear Foxglove flowers on their fingertips.Summer

The wild and romantic bogOur oceanic climate is especially favourable for thedevelopment of ourwindswept and atmosphericblanket bogs. The FlowCountry of Caithness andSutherland is one of the finest examples of thistype of habitat in theworld. Take time to lookclosely at our Scottish bogs and youwill seesome incredibly beautifulspecialist bog plants.

ShetlandMouse-ear(Cerastium nigrescens)is also ‘endemic’, as inunique to Scotland, growingonly on exposures of serpentine rock in Shetland.It has adapted to the wet conditions of an amazing295 rain days per year in Shetland. It also copesremarkably well with dry conditions by havingfleshy leaves that retainmoisture and a dense

covering of hairs preventing excessive evaporation.

Ice Age survivors and our ‘Scottish Alps’In sameway that Arctic Char fish still inhabit someScottish lochs, rare plants

likeNorwegianMugwort (Artemisia norvegica), Arctic Diapensia (Diapensialapponica) and Iceland-purslane (Koenigia islandica),more common in thesub-arctic zone, are survivors from the last ice age, 15,000 years ago.

When the glaciers disappeared, these plantswere stranded ina climate forwhich theywere no longer properly adapted. Only in thecoldest and remotest places, the high Scottish peaks, have a few smallpopulationsmanaged to hold on.

Around these arctic plants, delicate alpine flowers also grow, like AlpineGentian (Gentiana nivalis) andPurple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), giving

a flavour of the EuropeanAlps in Scotland.

Chickweed-wintergreenTrientalis europaeaThis delicate relative of the Primrose is found scattered through theHighlands and northern islands, in pinewoods and openmossymoorsup to 1,000metres. It is the Plantlife County Flower of Nairnshire.Summer

MountainAvensDryas octopetalaThis beautiful creeping shrub formsdense patches ofglossy, dark green, deeply-veined leaves, lobed like oakleaves. The prettywhite flowers appear on hairy stems inearly summer. It grows in base-rich grasslands inHighlandmountains, in rich heathland near sea level in the northwest and on cliffs and grassy banks along thewest coastand islands.Early summer

Round-leavedSundewDrosera rotundifoliaRemarkable carnivorous plants of bogsandwet peaty places, sundews havereddish leaf hairs exuding dew-likedrops of sweet juice towhich smallinsects stick. The leaf hairs then bendover, trapping the small strugglinginsectswhich are digested to providenutrients.Summer

PurpleSaxifrageSaxifraga oppositifoliaFlowering profusely as soonas snowsmelt, this creeping,mat-forming plant grows ondamp, stony and rocky groundonmountains, up to altitudesof 1215metres.Early spring

RaggedRobinLychnis flos-cuculiThis beautiful and delicate flowerofmarshland, wetmeadows andpastures has deeply cut petals,giving the ‘ragged’ appearance.Great for wildlife, it attracts avariety of butterflies, long tailedbees and hoverflies.Summer

TormentilPotentilla erectaThis common yellow flower can befound in grassland, heaths, woods,bogs andmountainsides throughoutScotland. The tannins in its rootswere used in the leather tanningindustry in Scotland until the 1950s.Summer

Devil’s-bit ScabiousSuccisa pratensisThe dark purplish-blueflowers of this tall plant canbe seen inmeadows, woodsandmarshland throughoutScotland. The characteristicconstriction at the top of theroot is said to have been bittenoff by the Devil out of spite forthe root’s herbal powers.Summer and early autumn

MeadowsweetFilipendula ulmariaThe frothy, branching, creamcoloured flowers of this perennialappear abundantly inwetmeadows,verges,marshlands and riverbanksthroughout Scotland in summer.The flowers have a lovely smell,reminiscent of freshly bakedsponge cake.Summer

YellowFlag Iris Iris pseudacorusCommon inwet groundthroughout Scotland, this stunning,sculptural flower, a favourite withbees, is seen above its densepatches of rich, sword shaped,rather bluish-green leaves onstems up to ametre tall. It wastraditionally used to cure disorderssuch as colds and toothache as farback asNeolithic times.Summer

Thrift ArmeriamaritimaAlso known as Sea Pink, this familiar seaside plantflowers abundantly in spring and summer on coastalrocks, pastures and saltmarshes all round Scottishcoasts and the hardy flowers can tolerate submergencein seawater. Thrift also thrives onmountain tops,where it is well adapted to thewind-blasted summits.Spring and summer

HarebellCampanula rotundifoliaWith its nodding, blue, broadly bell-shapedflowers, this delicate perennial is often called the ScottishBluebell in Scotland. It grows in dry grassland, sanddunes,machair and rock ledges throughout Scotland.Mid to late summer

WoodCrane’s-billGeraniumsylvaticumWidespread in uplandmeadows, hedgebanks, woodsandmountain ledges in theBorders and Central Highlands,this striking flower standsabout 50cm tall, floweringabundantly in June and July.Summer

PrimrosePrimula vulgarisThis familiar pale yellowflower is found throughoutScotland, growing inwoodlands and opengrassy places includingsea cliffs. Often named'Spinkies' in Scotland, theywere traditionally used totreat abscesses, coughsand colds.Spring

BogAsphodelNartheciumossifragumThese dense, striking spikesof yellow flowers grow inbogs andwetmoors acrossScotland. The orange,spindle shaped fruit capsulesremain on twiggy stemsSummer

...and some rare plants you probably won't see

Young’sHelleborineEpipactis youngianaThis newly evolving species oforchid is found only in Scotlandand northernNorthumberland, inthe industrial heartland, where itis adapting to the unusual soils ofcoalmining spoil heaps.Summer

TwinflowerLinnaea borealisNative pinewoods, such asthose in the Cairngorms,arewhere this beautifuland scarce plant grows.Summer

OysterplantMertensiamaritimaShingle beaches alongthe north east coastcarry themostextensive populationsin Britain of thisrare plant.Summer

PipewortEriocaulon aquaticumThis curious plant grows in a fewlochans in thewest, including theArdnamurchan peninsula andaround Sligachan on Skye.Pipewort is found nowhere elsein Europe apart from theHebridesand Ireland. Itsmain populationsare inNorth America.Summer& early autumn

Where did all the forests go?Ever since humans began tomake theirmark around 5000 yearsago by using and removing trees, the commonest plants inScotland have become those adapted toman-made habitats such aspasture or arable land. Nevertheless, Scotland still has plants likeAlpine Blue-sow-thistle (Cicerbita alpina), a tall, mountain forestflower common in Norway but rare in the Scottish Highlands, left asa relic of a oncemuchmore extensive cover of sub-alpine woodland.

All colours ofthe rainbow...dyeing with plantsScotland has a strong history of dyeingwith wild plants. WhiteWater-lily(Nymphaea alba), a showy perennialwith floating flowers, grows abundantlyin nutrient-poor lochs and pondsthroughout Scotland, except Orkney.It was used tomake black or darkbrown dye in the Harris Tweed industry.On Barra, newly knitted socks wereboiled with the dye, resulting in thickand hardwearing, if small, footwear!

Cows, milk and flowersBogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) was given to sick calves in the 19th century.

Butterwort is so called as it was used in buttermaking for curdlingmilk.The enzyme it uses to break down and ‘eat’ flies also breaks downmilk.It has names like badanmeasgan (buttermixer) in Gaelic or ostin girse(cheese plant) in Shetland.

“In summertime ... when youweremilking youwould taste the wild flowerson themilk ... very strong and the creamwould be yellow, so yellow.”KateAnneMacLellan, NorthUist

“Marshmarigold ... hang it around the horns of your cows. They won’t eat it.Make a garland and it increases themilk yield.”DonnieMacrury,NorthUist

17th century women put Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) roots into cream toward off spells interfering withmilk production. This was one ofmanycharms used by rural communities, who greatly feared damage bywitchcraft to livestock.

Yarrow, with its delicate feathery leaves and strong aromatic smell,was considered healthy and evenmedicinal for cattle and sheep.

Our unique Scottish wild plants

Wemight grumble that Scotland’s cool, wet andwindy climate brings outour umbrellas andwoolly jumpers, but our uniqueweather also brings ourwonderful displays of wild flowers. Our climate, togetherwith the incrediblemix ofmostly acidic rocks and soils, and thewaywemanage our land, hasgiven us a very special set of plant communities.

The beautiful Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica) is foundonly in Scotland. This tiny jewel nestles in damp, seasprayed, grazed turf andmaritime heath immediatelybehind steep coastal slopes on our northern coast.It is only found between CapeWrath and DunnetHead and in scattered locations on the OrkneyIslands.

Spectacular habitatsBesides individual species, someplant communitiesin Scotland are also internationally important.

The magic of the machairVisit theHebrides and thewest coast of the Scottishmainland to seespectacularmachair, a stunning natural sea ofwildflowerswhichchanges frombeautiful blues and yellows in early summerto pinks and purples as autumnapproaches.

Wet, coastal, westerly gales have blown sea shell fragmentsinland, creating a lime rich soil with 80–90%shell content.Grazing by cattle and sheep keeps the short, springy grassdownandwhen little or no chemicals are used, themachairflowers thrive.

Machair is one of the rarest habitats in Europe, found onlyin the north andwest of Britain and Ireland. Almost half ofScottishmachair occurs in theOuterHebrides.

Purple

Oxytropis

©Laurie

Cam

pbell

©Lorne Gill SNH

©Christopher N.Laine

Common Knapweed©Lorne Gill SNH

©Lorne Gill SNH

©Laurie Campbell

©LorneGill SNH

©Plantlife

©AndrewGagg/Plantlife

©Laurie Campbell

©Lorne Gill SNH

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©

Plantlife

©Emorsgate Seeds

©Laurie Campbell

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©Plantlife

©Laurie Campbell

©Marita Gulklett

©RBGE

©Laurie

Cam

pbellFr

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over

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furryleaved

GreatMullein©J.MichaelRaby,Yarrow

©Plantlife

AlpineGentian

©AndrewGagg/Plantlife,Round-leavedSundew

©LaurieCam

pbell

Common Cottongrass©Lorne Gill SNHBog Rosemary©Laurie Campbell

Alpine Blue-sow-thistle© Andrew Gagg / Plantlife

WhiteWater-lily©Laurie Campbell

MarshMarigold©Plantlife

Bogbean©Lorne Gill SNH