Some Marsh land Plants for ID and Discussion

[lostplanet]

As always Don't meddle with the Carrot Family or Umbelliferae, Some Are potentially Deadly!!

Please read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apiaceae

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I would like some help with a couple of plants i can't seem to identify and also some that i am happy I have positvely identified for future reference. Please post you opinions on the ID's and also the possible use for the plants below too.

Thanks to Louis: Butterfly bush, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja

Thanks to COTW, Sea beet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_beet

unknown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_carrot
The basket type weave under the Umbel can't really be seen and i havent seen it on any other plant so far.

Common Ragwort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Ragwort

Mallow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malva

To COTW, as discussed I will get some more photos together of the other plants i cannot ID and post the here.

For now, enjoy.

 

[lou1661]

The first two are (i think) Buddleja otherwise known as a butterfly bush.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja

Louis

 

[lostplanet]

Thanks Louis thats the plant! Just could seem to find a description anywhere.

does it have any uses in bushcraft?

 

[chickenofthewoods]

Good list,

I agree with your id's so far.

(from the bottom) Common Mallow (edible leaves and seeds: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Malva+sylvestris ), Ragwort (toxic plant do not eat: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Senecio+jacobaea ), above that the leaves are from Yarrow (culinary and medicinal uses: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Achillea+millefolium ), Wild Carrot (look for the single dark purplish flower at the very centre of the umbel - http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Daucus+carota ), the two above that are sea beet that's gone to seed (edible: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Beta+vulgaris+maritima ), and the final two are Buddleia (no recorded uses that I can find, although it's very attractive to insects. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Buddleia+davidii )

 

[lostplanet]

Excellent resource for 'Wild Carrot' Information:

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/queen.html

 

[chickenofthewoods]

Love it.

 

[Ben_Hillwalker]

The picture of the wild carrot leaves (bottom one of that set) seem very like Yarrow to me.

Yarrow is easy to confuse with umbellifers. I've done it myself.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

Achillea Millefolium - Yarrow

Wild Carrot leaf -

 

[lostplanet]

Thats strange, I was almost sure the picture of the yarrow leaves were from the two white headed plants I took, will go back and get some more pics for positive ID.

for now ill take them down.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

I think that all the white headed plants you posted were probably yarrow but it is difficult to tell without being able to see the leaves.

Yarrow has an Umbel like flower but is not a true umbel (it's a member of the daisy family) as all the branches of the flower do not start from the same point it also has a pleasant fragrance when the leaves are crushed.

 

[lostplanet]

does wild carrot have a basket type weave under the head?, I think I have both yarrow and Wild carrot growing very near by.

will check tommorow.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

Don't know too much about wild carrot but do you mean this sort of thing........

Wild carrot Umbel.

wild carrot has an "Umbel" where all the flower stalks come from the same point.......

whereas Yarrow's flower stalks do not come from the same point called a "Corymb".....

 

[lostplanet]

Yes that's it, I tried to take a picture but the close up was blurred, will be back with more detail.

for the mean time heres another pic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DSCRF0787.JPG

 

[Ben_Hillwalker]

From memory, some of the flowers in your original picture might well have been wild carrot. Some of the flower heads had that woven-ball-look that I always associate with wild carrot.

But like I said, its easy to confuse yarrow with an umbelifer.

 

[janiepopps]

Some info on wild carrots here.. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23398

 

[match]

Buddleia makes a reasonably good spindle for a hand or bow drill, as its naturally quite straight.

There's a plant which has daisy-like flowers which has leaves very similar to yarrow, but they're greener and touch fleshier, and they don't have the distinctive medicinal smell that yarrow leaves have when crushed. I've no idea what its called though - I'll try and take some pics next time I see it growing side by side with yarrow, as it does round here quite a bit.

 

[carla]

ragwort i only poisionous to horses i believe. ive seen it in herbals for medicinal use tho very rarely.
ragwort totally screws up horses liver function. they wont eat it when its fresh growing in the field. when it is dried and mixed in with meadow hay by mistake it will kill them. there used to be a law in england that farmers had to kill it off. that law is no longer in use so we now see ragwort everywhere. wait till the end of summer to see the large black and orange catepillars that love to eat it.
the white flowers in the photo are lovely well developed yarrow flowers, must be growing where they thrive.
from a life time horse lover!!!

 

[janiepopps]

ragwort i only poisionous to horses i believe. ive seen it in herbals for medicinal use tho very rarely.
ragwort totally screws up horses liver function. they wont eat it when its fresh growing in the field. when it is dried and mixed in with meadow hay by mistake it will kill them. there used to be a law in england that farmers had to kill it off. that law is no longer in use so we now see ragwort everywhere. wait till the end of summer to see the large black and orange catepillars that love to eat it.
the white flowers in the photo are lovely well developed yarrow flowers, must be growing where they thrive.
from a life time horse lover!!!

All parts of ragwort are poisonous http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Senecio+jacobaea and I am pretty sure you should not let it grow on your land, even today.
However many insects depend on it growing and we certainly wouldn't have cinnibar moths if there was no ragwort..

 

[carla]

thanks for that web site its fantastic...
was thinking external use ( obviously
i used to always pull up plants i saw growing. now there are too many
unfortunately now it grows everywhere. much to the irritation of horse owners.