Identifying Edible and Poisonous Wild Plants
Our Hedgerow Guide aims to help you forage for British plants that are relatively common in the wild, easy to find and good to eat – and to avoid those that are inedible or poisonous.
Never rely on one source for plant identification, and never eat anything unless you are 100% sure it is edible. We will not be held responsible for the use of the information in this guide.
Hedgerows are a great place to find most of these plants, but do look around in woods and fields as many grow there too.
You can filter to see what’s in season currently. If you want to learn more about wild food and foraging then why not come one of our courses?
To identify a item from specific characteristics please use our search
Choose a type of hedgerow:
Choose a season of interest:
Photo | Sort by common name : Common Name | Sort by scientific name : Scientific Name | Type | Start | End |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stinking Hellebore | Helleborus foetidus | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Winter Aconite | Eranthis hyemalis | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Winter Heliotrope | Petasites fragrans | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Henbane | Hyoscyamus niger | Season Start : May | Season End : Sep | ||
Rough Chervil | Chaerophyllum temulum | Season Start : | Season End : | ||
Green Alkanet | Pentaglottis sempervirens | Season Start : | Season End : | ||
Pimpernel | Lysimachia sp | Season Start : | Season End : | ||
Crown Vetch | Securigera varia | Season Start : May | Season End : Jul | ||
Woody Nightshade | Solanum dulcamara | Season Start : May | Season End : Oct | ||
Deadly Nightshade | Atropa belladonna | Season Start : May | Season End : Oct | ||
Black Nightshade | Solanum nigrum | Season Start : Jul | Season End : Sep | ||
Lily of the Valley | Convallaria majalis | Season Start : Apr | Season End : Jul | ||
Gorse | Ulex sp. | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Thornapple | Datura stramonium | Season Start : Jun | Season End : Oct | ||
Meadow Bindweed | Convolvulus arvensis | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Laburnum | Laburnum sp. | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
White Bryony | Bryonia dioica | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Nov | ||
Monkshood | Aconitum napellus | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Oct | ||
Foxglove | Digitalis sp | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Sep | ||
Giant Hogweed | Heracleum mantegazzianum | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Oct | ||
Buttercups | Ranunculus sp | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Ragwort | Jacobaea vulgaris | Season Start : Jan | Season End : Dec | ||
Yew Tree | Taxus baccata | Season Start : Sep | Season End : Nov | ||
Dog's Mercury | Mercurialis perennis | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Nov | ||
Lords and Ladies | Arum maculatum | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Nov | ||
Fool's Parsley | Aethusa cynapium | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Sep | ||
Hemlock Water Dropwort | Oenanthe crocata | Season Start : Feb | Season End : Jul | ||
Hemlock | Conium maculatum | Season Start : Mar | Season End : Sep |