Woodland Plant I.D. Guide

Correct identification of woodland plants is essential for effective woodland management at all levels, including for professionals using Forest Research’s ESC-DSS tool.

Our ESC Woodland Species Guide contains details of the most common woodland indicator species as well as information on the soils that they are commonly found in.

Look below for individual entries or you can download the whole guide as a pdf at the bottom of this page.

A

common bent ~ Agrostis capillaris

bugle ~ Ajuga reptans

ransoms, wild garlic ~ Allium ursinium

wood anemone ~ Anemone nemorosa

sweet vernal-grass ~ Anthoxanthum odoratum

 lady-fern ~ Athyrlum filix-femina

B

hard fern ~ Blechnum spicant

false-brome ~ Brachypodium sylvaticum

C

green-ribbed sedge ~ Carex binervis

heather ~ Calluna vulgaris

rosebay willowherb ~ Charmerion angustifolium

enchanter’s nightshade ~ Circaea lutetiana

hazel ~ Corylus avellana

hawthorn ~ Cretaegus monogyna

D

cocksfoot ~ Dactylis glomerata

tufted hair-grass ~ Deschampsia cespitosa

wavy hair-grass ~ Deschampsia flexulosa

foxglove ~ Digitalis purpurea

scaly male-fern ~ Dryopteris affinis

broad buckler-fern ~ Dryopteris dilatate

male-fern ~ Dryopteris filix-mas

E

bell heather ~ Erica cinerea

common cotton-grass ~ Eriophorum angustifolium

cotton-grass, hare’s tail ~ Eriophorum vaginatum

G

cleavers, goosegrass ~ Galium aparine

heath bedstraw ~ Gallium saxatile

herb robert ~ Geranium robertianum

wood avens ~ Geum urbanum

ground ivy ~ Glechoma hederacea

H

ivy ~ Hedera helix

yorkshire fog ~ Holcus lanatus

creeping soft-grass ~ Holcus mollis

bluebell ~ Hyacinthoides non-scripta

I

holly ~ Ilex aquifolium

J

soft rush ~ Juncus effusus

L

honeysuckle ~ Lonicera periclynmenum

great woodrush ~ Luzula sylvatica

M

common cow-wheat ~ Melampyrum pratense

dog’s mercury ~ Mercurialis perennis

purple moor-grass ~ Molinia caerulea

O

wood sorrel ~ Oxalis acetosella

P

tormentil ~ Potentilla erecta

bracken ~ Pteridium aquilinum

R

creeping buttercup ~ Ranunculus repens

bramble ~ Rubus fruiticosus

raspberry ~ Rubus idaeus

S

elder ~ Sambucus nigra

hedge woundwort ~ Stachys sylvatica

greater stitchwort ~ Stellaria holostea

chickweed ~ Stellaria media

T

white clover ~ Trifolium repens

wood sage ~ Teucrium scorodonia

U

stinging nettle ~ Urtica dioica

V

blaeberry, bilberry ~ Vaccinium myrtillus

cowberry ~ Vaccinium vitus-idaea

germander speedwell ~ Veronica chamaedrys

wood speedwell ~ Veronica montana

common valerian ~ Valeriana officinalis

common violet  ~ Viola riviniana

U

gorse ~ Ulex europeaus