Red and White campion (Silene dioica and S. latifolia) light up our roadsides in May and June with splashes of magenta and white flowers. A…

This year our pavements and roadsides are greener than usual. Some of them are very green indeed – under COVID-19 lockdown the regular weed control…

Cardamine pratensis is an herbaceous perennial with clusters of 4-petalled flowers that appear between April and June. They are pink, white or lilac-tinged and the…

Coming together but keeping apart: Genetic distancing in Geum Walk along many country roads in May and June and you might chance across a hybrid…

Senecio squalidus on an old stone wall, East Lothian © Chris Jeffree Senecio squalidus is a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) – the same family…

A perspective by Jonathan Silvertown, University of Edinburgh (c) Jonathan Silvertown “By leaves we live. Some people have strange ideas that they live by money.…

Very many plant species have polyploid forms, in which more than one paired set of chromosomes are present in all the cells. The recent paper…

You may have admired the pond at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. It is an attractive feature, visited by many people including families with small…

Whilst we humans are locked down, the urban flora is unfettered, and seems to be looking better than usual. It’s been cold in Edinburgh, but…

City streets are not generally thought of as habitats, but a walk down almost any one of them in Edinburgh will produce an impressive list…

Veronica arvensis is a very common native plant, often overlooked, and frequently found in the crack between pavement and wall. Its tiny blue flowers, appearing…