The "what is that plant?" thread

[punkrockcaveman]

I thought I would open up this thread as we have one for mushrooms but none for plants weirdly, it's something I'm planning to do a lot of this year (already have to be honest) and theres no better time to be learning what plants are around.

So I'll get the ball rolling with a few that I've seen recently



Lesser celandine. Really common around here, especially in boggy areas. Edible, the leaf can be eaten as a salad


Common sorrel. Great flavour! Edible, great salad leaf with a nice apple skin acidity



Lords and ladies/cuckoo pint. Loads of this growing almost everywhere at the mo. Poisonous



Meadowsweet. Edible, it can even be dried for smoking.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Dogs mercury, poisonous


Hemlock water dropwort poisonous

Both best avoided!

 

[Toddy]

Crush your 'young meadowsweet' and if it smells like Germoline, then yes

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Jack by the hedge, strong garlic/mustard flavour, great used sparingly in salads or with strong food



Cowslip- a new one to me chuffed to find it. Edible flower, use sparingly in salads



Cleavers. Edible, not tried them myself yet.




Arum/lords and ladies, seems to be a variegated version, I've seen this a few times now. Poisonous

 

[Nice65]

Not this year, but the Cowslips do well here.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

A couple of nice examples today, red dead nettle. Edible, sparingly in salads or as a tea



And white dead nettle, sparingly in salads or as a tea

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Barren Strawberry. Edible fruits

 

[Kadushu]

Is this soapwort? Hopefully I'll know for sure once it flowers.

 

[Toddy]

I use soapwort, and I get annoyed at all the book descriptions that say to dig up the roots.
You don't need the roots. Simply gather a long strand of the stuff (or a few of those new whorls of leafy stems) and rub it up really well in water. Be vigorous about it. It'll froth green, the water will feel soft on your skin. It won't stain, it is an excellent cleanser and it is very kind to your skin. It doesn't need the roots destroyed to use the plant. It'll come again.

 

[slowworm]

View attachment 65942
Is this soapwort? Hopefully I'll know for sure once it flowers.

Soapwort was my first thought before I saw what you'd written. It does 'soap' up if can try some. At this time of year there will be old long shoots and fresh new shoots appearing.

 

[Kadushu]

Soapwort was my first thought before I saw what you'd written. It does 'soap' up if can try some. At this time of year there will be old long shoots and fresh new shoots appearing.

I did try a bit but it didn't froth up very convincingly which brought in some doubt. It was part of some wild flower seed that I introduced to my garden a few years ago, hence the lack of old stems because I cut them off last autumn.

 

[Toddy]

It really needs you to be rough with it, really crush it and rub it up in the water. The old washing boards were ideal for doing that, but just really rubbed between your hands in the water will work.
I can usually get three pailfulls from three or four stems.

M

 

[punkrockcaveman]

View attachment 65942
Is this soapwort? Hopefully I'll know for sure once it flowers.

I just popped this into the plant net app, and it says its likely to be soapwort, definitely worth checking other sources too though.

I've never found it before but I'll be keeping an eye out!

 

[Wander]

Here's one - Cuckoo Flower.
There were lots out today.
The leaves are edible (never tried them myself. Cuckoo Flower is a member of the bittercress family, so I can take a punt on what they taste like).

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Couple of coastal ones from the weekend



Alexander's.... there were loads around. I'll be heading back soon to pick some for sure. Edible but haven't personally had the pleasure myself.



Scurvy grass... Edible, salad. awesome stuff! Tastes exactly like wasabi, just needed some soy sauce and fresh mackerel! Super hot.

 

[Wander]

Out for a stroll at the weekend and I passed by some cuckoo flower again, so thought I'd try it.
The flowers were very mild in flavour, just a distant hint of mustard.
Then tried a leaf.
A much stronger flavour. Not over-powering at all, but distinctly mustard. It'd be a lovely addition to a salad. I enjoyed it, and very glad I tried it. Lovely.

Also saw this - garlic mustard/jack by the hedge:

For a garlic-hater like me, it's not too bad. More like a spring onion than garlic, and quite gentle.

 

[Toddy]

Here's one - Cuckoo Flower.
There were lots out today.
The leaves are edible (never tried them myself. Cuckoo Flower is a member of the bittercress family, so I can take a punt on what they taste like).

It's spicy, cress like
One of my Spring time favourite weeds

 

[Brizzlebush]

Wood anemones. Plentiful, but inedible.

Early Purple Orchid, almost in full flower, irritatingly slightly out of focus. Edible, but not numerous enough, and too pretty to eat.
Also violets and ground ivy.
The ground ivy was delicious garnishing our nettle soup.

In a different wood, a week later;

Opposite leaved golden saxifrage. Quite succulent and tasty.

I also foraged last week; lady's smock (cuckoo flower) quite delicious, ramsons, scapes and leaves, white dead nettle (I'm going to Lacto-ferment it) and Alexanders.
Spring is most definitely happening!

I thought this might be wild celery, but I didn't want to take a chance. My carrot family ID isn't great yet, so I'm not going to chance it. I ate one leaf tip, and I'm still here, but...
It could be water dropwort, which is delicious once, apparently!

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Pennywort, what a lovely edible this one is. We found a few whilst camping on the llyn peninsula last weekend, alongside 3 cornered leek. They have a fantastic peashoot flavour, the books said they were more of a dull lettuce taste but in my opinion they were much more interesting than that. Great succulent texture too

 

[MrEd]

i can recommend the 'plantnet' app if any of you are in to that sort of thing, i ahve found it to be correct - i spent a while testing it on things i knew before using it on thigns i didnt