Botanical Name to Common Name

Important! Inclusion in this list does not imply safety. Read the full description of the plant in the plant list, as well as information on the safety page.

The purpose of this list is to cross-reference plants referred to in other sources, including non-English ones, or where the botanical name of a plant is known.

Common names can vary, and the only safe way to identify a plant is through its botanical name, which is largely standardised across borders. The common names in this guide follow the names approved by the Botanical Society and are also found in the Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe.

Example: if you identified a plant as Allium triquetrum, you will see from the list below that it will appear in the main plant list of this guide as "Leek, Three-cornered". On this current page you can also see that there are several close relatives of the Allium genus (onions), e.g. Allium ursinum - Ramson. This may be helpful in finding similar plants which may be more common than the one you were hoping to find for a given purpose. Maybe you've read that Chenopodium album, Fat Hen, makes a good pot herb, but you can't find any. However, next to Chenopodium album on the list you find Chenopodium bonus-henricus, Good King Henry, which is similar to Fat Hen, and you know it grows in your area.

The Botanical Family Translator will help to locate the family on the safety page where families are listed with their English name. In that list you will find information (where available) which should be considered for making a safe choice.

The sample list only gives one example under each letter. To access the full information please purchase the guide at judyofthewoods.net