Nature Photographers Ltd

  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • NPL Blog
Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
Next
{ 446 images found }
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus Aceraceae. Height to 35m <br />
Vigorous, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Greyish, fissured and flaking. Branches Thick, with grey-green twigs and reddish buds. Leaves To 15cm long, with 5 toothed lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers in pendulous, yellowbloom, blooming, blossom, blossoming, close, close-up, closeup, deciduous, flower, flowering, flowers, in, portrait, spread, spreading, tree, trees, up, vertical clusters, to 12cm long. Paired wings of fruits spread acutely, curve in slightly towards tip. Status Introduced, widely planted and naturalised.
    157996.jpg
  • Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus Aceraceae. Height to 35m <br />
Vigorous, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Greyish, fissured and flaking. Branches Thick, with grey-green twigs and reddish buds. Leaves To 15cm long, with 5 toothed lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers in pendulous, yellowbloom, blooming, blossom, blossoming, close, close-up, closeup, deciduous, flower, flowering, flowers, in, portrait, spread, spreading, tree, trees, up, vertical clusters, to 12cm long. Paired wings of fruits spread acutely, curve in slightly towards tip. Status Introduced, widely planted and naturalised.
    157994.jpg
  • Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus Aceraceae. Height to 35m <br />
Vigorous, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Greyish, fissured and flaking. Branches Thick, with grey-green twigs and reddish buds. Leaves To 15cm long, with 5 toothed lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers in pendulous, yellowbloom, blooming, blossom, blossoming, close, close-up, closeup, deciduous, flower, flowering, flowers, in, portrait, spread, spreading, tree, trees, up, vertical clusters, to 12cm long. Paired wings of fruits spread acutely, curve in slightly towards tip. Status Introduced, widely planted and naturalised.
    157993.jpg
  • Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus Aceraceae. Height to 35m <br />
Vigorous, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Greyish, fissured and flaking. Branches Thick, with grey-green twigs and reddish buds. Leaves To 15cm long, with 5 toothed lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers in pendulous, yellowbloom, blooming, blossom, blossoming, close, close-up, closeup, deciduous, flower, flowering, flowers, in, portrait, spread, spreading, tree, trees, up, vertical clusters, to 12cm long. Paired wings of fruits spread acutely, curve in slightly towards tip. Status Introduced, widely planted and naturalised.
    157995.jpg
  • Ophrys fuciflora subsp apulica - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162696.jpg
  • Wild Peony - Paeonia mascula
    162675.jpg
  • Elder-flowered Orchid - Dactylorhiza sambucina
    162671.jpg
  • Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes<br />
apochromatic form
    162669.jpg
  • Roman Orchid - Dactylorhiza romana
    162665.jpg
  • Pink Catchfly - Silene colorata
    162619.jpg
  • Pink Cistus - Cistus creticus
    162614.jpg
  • Italian Gladiolus - Gladiolus italicus
    162595.jpg
  • Ploughshare or Long-lipped Tongue Orchid - Serapias vomeracea
    162589.jpg
  • Wild Peony - Paeonia mascula
    162679.jpg
  • Wild Peony - Paeonia mascula
    162680.jpg
  • Sawfly Orchid - Ophrys tenthredenifera
    162674.jpg
  • Aristolochia pallida - a birthwort species
    162673.jpg
  • Elder-flowered Orchid - Dactylorhiza sambucina
    162672.jpg
  • Meadow Saxifrage - Saxifraga granulata
    162670.jpg
  • Purple Gromwell - Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum
    162668.jpg
  • Roman Orchid - Dactylorhiza romana
    162666.jpg
  • Dactylorhiza saccifera - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162667.jpg
  • Roman Orchid - Dactylorhiza romana
    162663.jpg
  • Sand Catchfly - Silene conica
    162640.jpg
  • Bertoloni's Bee Orchid - Ophrys bertolonii
    162639.jpg
  • Ophrys x bertoloniformis - Gargano Peninsula, Italy<br />
= Ophrys x flavicans
    162638.jpg
  • Bumblebee Orchid - Ophrys bomyliflora
    162637.jpg
  • Bumblebee Orchid - Ophrys bomyliflora
    162636.jpg
  • Ophrys lutea subsp galilaea - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162635.jpg
  • Ophrys fuciflora subsp apulica - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162634.jpg
  • Ophrys sphegodes subsp sipontensis - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162633.jpg
  • Bean Broomrape - Orobanche crenata
    162631.jpg
  • Tordylium - Tordylium apulum
    162629.jpg
  • Smooth Golden Fleece - Urospermum dalechampii
    162628.jpg
  • Small-flowered Tongue Orchid - Serapias parviflora
    162627.jpg
  • Small-flowered Tongue Orchid - Serapias parviflora
    162626.jpg
  • Sage-leaved Cistus - Cistus salvifolius
    162624.jpg
  • Southern Bird's-foot Trefoil - Lotus creticus
    162623.jpg
  • Southern Bird's-foot Trefoil - Lotus creticus
    162622.jpg
  • Southern Bird's-foot Trefoil - Lotus creticus
    162621.jpg
  • Starry Clover - Trifolium stellatum
    162618.jpg
  • Narrow-leaved Clover - Trifolium angustifolium
    162617.jpg
  • Pink Butterfly Orchid - Anacamptis papilionacea
    162613.jpg
  • Serapias cordigera - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162612.jpg
  • Pink Butterfly Orchid - Anacamptis papilionacea
    162611.jpg
  • Starry Clover - Trifolium stellatum
    162610.jpg
  • Ophrys fuciflora subsp parvimaculata - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162609.jpg
  • Ophrys sphegodes subsp. atrata - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162607.jpg
  • Ophrys sphegodes subsp. atrata - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162606.jpg
  • Ophrys sphegodes subsp. atrata - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162605.jpg
  • Jupiter's Beard - Anthyllis barba-jovis
    162603.jpg
  • Jupiter's Beard - Anthyllis barba-jovis
    162602.jpg
  • Jupiter's Beard - Anthyllis barba-jovis
    162601.jpg
  • Bumblebee Orchid - Ophrys bomyliflora
    162600.jpg
  • Small-flowered Tongue Orchid - Serapias parviflora
    162598.jpg
  • Serapias bergonii - an eastern Mediterranean tongue orchid
    162596.jpg
  • Early Marsh-orchid - Dactylorhiza incarnata<br />
subsp. pulchella, var. leucantha
    162592.jpg
  • Pink butterfly Orchid - Anacamptis papilionacea
    162641.jpg
  • Galactites - Galactites tomentosa
    162630.jpg
  • Pink Cistus - Cistus creticus
    162615.jpg
  • Jupiter's Beard - Anthyllis barba-jovis
    162604.jpg
  • Southern Bird's-foot Trefoil - Lotus creticus
    162620.jpg
  • Ophrys fuciflora subsp parvimaculata - Gargano Peninsula, Italy
    162608.jpg
  • Small-flowered Tongue Orchid - Serapias parviflora
    162597.jpg
  • Ploughshare or Long-lipped Tongue Orchid - Serapias vomeracea
    162590.jpg
  • Medlar Mespilus germanica (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 9m <br />
Sometimes a small, rounded tree, or often a spreading and untidy shrub. BARK Greyish-brown, in old trees breaking into oblong plates with deep fissures. BRANCHES Young shoots are densely hairy. LEAVES To 15cm long, lanceolate to ovate with entire or sometimes very finely toothed margins and deep veins; often a yellowish-green colour and almost shiny above, with dense white hairs on the underside. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Solitary white flowers are up to 6cm across, with sepals longer than the petals and about 40 red anthers. The curious fruit is about 3cm long, divided into 5 carpels, with a brown russet-like skin and a sunken apex. It is edible, but not until it has started to rot, when it can be used in preserves. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of the woodlands of SE Europe and Asia Minor, but has been in cultivation elsewhere for a long time. Usually found in old gardens, but is also naturalised in some woodlands.
    133956.jpg
  • Mimosa Acacia dealbata (Fabaceae) HEIGHT to 30m <br />
Medium-sized tree. Twigs, shoots and foliage are covered by silvery-white hairs. BARK Smooth, greenish-grey; blackens with age. BRANCHES Upright. LEAVES Fern-like tripinnate leaves; leaflets, to 5mm long. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Tiny yellow flowers, in small globular heads of 30-40 flowers, on long racemes of 20–30 heads. Pods flattened, to 10cm long; not constricted between seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of Australia, grown here for ornament.
    135190.jpg
  • Kohuhu Pittosporum tenuifolium (Pittosporaceae)HEIGHT to 10m. Stout-boled tree. BARK Smooth and dark grey. BRANCHES Densely packed; shoots purplish black. LEAVES Oblong or elliptical, to 6cm long and 2cm across with a wavy margin; glossy above, less shiny below. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Scented tubular flowers, to 1cm long, have 5 deep-purplish lobes and yellow anthers; in clusters or solitary, in leaf axils. Fruit is a rounded capsule, about 1cm long, ripening from green to black. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of New Zealand; planted here but not hardy, thriving only in Scillies and W Cornwall.
    133805.jpg
  • Lilac Syringa vulgaris (Oleaceae) HEIGHT to 7m <br />
A small deciduous tree, but sometimes little more than a multi-stemmed shrub with a rounded crown and a short bole surrounded by suckers. BARK Greyish and spirally fissured in older trees. BRANCHES Usually a mass of ascending branches. The twigs are rounded and shiny greenish-brown. LEAVES Short-petioled and opposite, up to 10cm long, ovate or slightly heart-shaped with entire margins and a slightly leathery feel; they are usually yellowish-green with a smooth surface. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The fragrant lilac flowers are borne in dense, paired conical spikes, up to 20cm long, arising from the apical leaf axils; the flowers are at their best in May and June. Individual flowers are up to 1.2cm long and 4-lobed. The fruit is a pointed ovoid capsule up to 1cm long. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of rocky hillsides in the Balkans, growing in open thickets and scrub, but long cultivated in the rest of Europe for its attractive fragrant flowers. In Britain and Ireland, it is a popular garden plant and frequently naturalised as well, spreading by vegetative means (mainly suckers) rather than seed.
    133701.jpg
  • Lilac Syringa vulgaris (Oleaceae) HEIGHT to 7m <br />
A small deciduous tree, but sometimes little more than a multi-stemmed shrub with a rounded crown and a short bole surrounded by suckers. BARK Greyish and spirally fissured in older trees. BRANCHES Usually a mass of ascending branches. The twigs are rounded and shiny greenish-brown. LEAVES Short-petioled and opposite, up to 10cm long, ovate or slightly heart-shaped with entire margins and a slightly leathery feel; they are usually yellowish-green with a smooth surface. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The fragrant lilac flowers are borne in dense, paired conical spikes, up to 20cm long, arising from the apical leaf axils; the flowers are at their best in May and June. Individual flowers are up to 1.2cm long and 4-lobed. The fruit is a pointed ovoid capsule up to 1cm long. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of rocky hillsides in the Balkans, growing in open thickets and scrub, but long cultivated in the rest of Europe for its attractive fragrant flowers. In Britain and Ireland, it is a popular garden plant and frequently naturalised as well, spreading by vegetative means (mainly suckers) rather than seed.
    133699.jpg
  • Karo Pittosporum crassifolium (Pittosporaceae)HEIGHT to 10m. Small evergreen tree or large shrub. BARK Blackish. BRANCHES Congested. LEAVES Leathery, to 8cm long and 3cm wide, ovate to lanceolate and blunt-tipped; dark green above, paler and woolly below with slightly inrolled margin. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers, in lax clusters, have 5 deep red petals and yellow anthers. Fruit is an ovoid capsule, to 3cm long, matt and light green, with shiny seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of New Zealand, tolerant of salt spray so planted for coastal hedging and naturalised in parts of SW England.
    133683.jpg
  • Midland Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata Rosaceae Height to 10m. Dense deciduous shrub. Bark Grey-brown, cracking into plates. Branches With few, small spines. Leaves To 6cm long, with shallow lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers white, to 2.4cm across, in lax clusters (May). Fruits red, rounded, to 1cm long. Status Widespread but local; less frequent than Common Hawthorn as a native but also widely planted.
    130784.jpg
  • Karo Pittosporum crassifolium (Pittosporaceae)HEIGHT to 10m. Small evergreen tree or large shrub. BARK Blackish. BRANCHES Congested. LEAVES Leathery, to 8cm long and 3cm wide, ovate to lanceolate and blunt-tipped; dark green above, paler and woolly below with slightly inrolled margin. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers, in lax clusters, have 5 deep red petals and yellow anthers. Fruit is an ovoid capsule, to 3cm long, matt and light green, with shiny seeds. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Native of New Zealand, tolerant of salt spray so planted for coastal hedging and naturalised in parts of SW England.
    133682.jpg
  • Midland Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata Rosaceae Height to 10m. Dense deciduous shrub. Bark Grey-brown, cracking into plates. Branches With few, small spines. Leaves To 6cm long, with shallow lobes. Reproductive parts Flowers white, to 2.4cm across, in lax clusters (May). Fruits red, rounded, to 1cm long. Status Widespread but local; less frequent than Common Hawthorn as a native but also widely planted.
    130785.jpg
  • Labrador Tea - Ledum palustre (Rhododendron tomentosum)
    162755.jpg
  • Bluebells - Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Stoke Woods, Bicester, Oxfordshire owned by the Woodland Trust
    162458.jpg
  • Lesser Celandine - Ranunculus ficaria, Stoke Wood, Bicester, Oxfordshire
    162364.jpg
  • Small-leaved Lime Tilia cordata Tiliaceae Height to 32m<br />
Deciduous tree; dense crown, untidy with age. Bark Smooth, grey; darkens and flakes with age. Branches Ascending; twigs reddish above, olive below. Leaves To 9cm long, rounded with heart-shaped base; vein axils hairy below. Reproductive parts Flowers 5-petalled, pale with green bract; project in all directions. Fruit round, hard, 6mm across. Status Local.
    118384.jpg
  • ROCK-SAMPHIRE Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) Height to 40cm<br />
Spreading, branched and hairless perennial. Characteristic of maritime rocky habitats and stabilised coastal shingle. FLOWERS are greenish yellow and borne in umbels, 3-6cm across, with 8-30 rays and numerous bracts (Jun-Sep). FRUITS are egg-shaped, ridged and corky. LEAVES are divided into narrow, fleshy lobes, triangular in cross-section.
    155592.jpg
  • COMMON SEA-LAVENDER Limonium vulgare (Plumbaginaceae) Height to 30cm. Distinctive, hairless perennial that is woody at the base. Entirely restricted to saltmarshes and tolerates tidal inundation. FLOWERS are 6-7mm long and pinkish lilac; they are borne in branched, flat-topped heads on arching sprays (Jul-Sep). FRUITS are capsules. LEAVES are spoon-shaped with long stalks. STATUS-Widespread and locally common in S and SE England but scarce or absent elsewhere.
    154989.jpg
  • Meadow - SHORT-TAILED VOLE HABITAT
    128436.jpg
  • Mediterranean Farmland
    129534.jpg
  • Pyramidal Orchid - Anacamptis pyramidalis at Kenfig Nature Reserve, South Wales
    153697.jpg
  • Yellow Horned-poppy (Glaucium flavum) on the shingle of Hurst Spit, Hampshire
    153765.jpg
  • Sea Carrot - Daucus carota ssp. gummifer on the clifftop at Portland Bill, Dorset
    153779.jpg
  • Jackdaw Corvus monedula in flight. L 31-34cm. Our most familiar small corvid. Has a swaggering walk and is aerobatic in flight. Forms large flocks outside breeding season. Sexes are similar. Adult has smoky-grey plumage, darkest on wings and crown, pale blue-grey eye and grey nape. Juvenile is similar but plumage is tinged brownish and eye is duller. Voice Utters a characteristic chack call. Status Widespread and common resident of farmland, sea cliffs, towns and villages.
    153757.jpg
  • Yellow Horned-poppy (Glaucium flavum) on the shingle of Hurst Spit, Hampshire
    153768.jpg
  • Elder Sambucus nigra Caprifoliaceae Height to 10m<br />
Untidy deciduous shrub or small tree. Bark Grey-brown, furrowed, corky and lichen-covered with age. Branches Spreading, twisted, with white central pith. Leaves Opposite, compound with 5–7 pairs of ovate, toothed leaflets, each to 12cm long. Reproductive part Flowers, white, sickly-sweet scented, in flat-topped clusters. Fruits are rounded, shiny-black berries, in pendulous heads. Status Common.
    153640.jpg
  • SPOTTED CAT’S-EAR Hypochaeris maculata (Asteraceae) Height to 30cm. Rather distinctive perennial that grows in dry grassland and on broken, rocky slopes, mainly on calcareous soils. FLOWERS are borne in heads 3-5cm across, with lemon yellow florets and blackish bracts; heads are solitary and carried on bristly stalks (Jun-Aug). Has scales between florets. FRUITS have feathery hairs. LEAVES are ovate, wavy-edged, bristly and marked with reddish purple spots. STATUS-Rare and local.
    153656.jpg
  • Strawberry Tree Arbutus unedo (Ericaceae) Height to 9m <br />
Small, spreading evergreen tree with a short bole and a dense, domed crown. BARK Reddish, peeling away in shreds that turn brown. BRANCHES Often ascending and twisted; twigs slightly hairy and reddish. LEAVES To 11cm long, with either sharply toothed or entire margins, and a prominent midrib. Dark glossy-green above, paler below; 1cm-long petiole is usually red and hairy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Flowers borne in pendulous clusters late in year at same time as fruits from previous year; flowers white, to 9mm long, and sometimes tinged pink or green. Fruit is a round berry, to 2cm across; warty skin ripens from yellow through orange to deep red; flesh is acidic. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Main native range is SW Europe and Mediterranean; also occurs naturally in SW Ireland in open woods and thickets. Planted widely elsewhere.
    135451.jpg
  • Rum Cherry (Black Cherry) Prunus serotina (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 22m. A spreading deciduous tree with a stout trunk. BARK Greyish, peeling away in strips and fissured in older trees; a strange, bitter smell is released if the bark is damaged. BRANCHES Spreading and dense, the outer extremes sometimes weeping. LEAVES Larger than those of Bird Cherry at up to 14cm long, shiny above and with fine forward-pointing teeth on the margin; the midrib on the underside has patches of hairs along it, which help separate this species from other similar cherries. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The flowers are very similar to those of Bird Cherry, but the spike may contain fewer than 30 flowers, the pedicels are shorter and the white petals are toothed at the margins. The black fruits contain a bitter-tasting flesh and a rounded smooth stone. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of N America, planted for timber and ornament in much of Europe, including Britain and Ireland, and naturalised in many places, including S England.
    133998.jpg
  • Common Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Rosaceae Height to 15m Spreading deciduous tree or shrub. Bark Fissured with vertical grooves. Branches Densely packed, with sharp spines. Leaves To 4.5cm long, deeply lobed, with teeth near apex. Reproductive parts Flowers white, 15mm across, in flat-topped clusters of 10–18 (May). Fruits (‘haws’) rounded and red. Status Common native of hedgerows and scrub, especially on chalk.
    133985.jpg
  • Wild Crab Malus sylvestris Rosaceae Height to 10m <br />
Slender deciduous tree. Bark Deep brown, cracking into oblong plates. Branches Often spiny; even shoots can be thorny. Leaves To 11cm long, oval and toothed. Reproductive parts Flowers 5-petalled, to 4cm across, white, sometimes pink-tinged. Fruits to 4cm across, rounded, yellowish-green, hard and sour. Status Locally common native of hedges and woods.
    133847.jpg
  • Exmoor Service Sorbus subcuneata (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Modest tree (lumped within Sorbus latifolia agg. by some authors). LEAVES Ovate to elliptical with shallow-toothed lobes extending less than ¼ to midrib; 8-9 pairs of veins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits are brownish, to 12mm long, with numerous lenticels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce and local, confined to Sessile Oak Quercus petraea woodland on Old Red Sandstone, mainly in the valley of the East Lyn, around Watersmeet in N Devon.
    133821.jpg
  • Service-tree of Fontainbleu Sorbus latifolia (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 18m. Spreading, divided tree. LEAVES To 10cm long, broadly oval with indistinct triangular lobes and double-toothed margins. Shiny green above, downy grey below on 7 to 9 pairs of veins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits rounded, to 1.5cm long, yellowish-brown with large lenticels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Probably a hybrid between Whitebeam and Wild Service-tree, first found near Fontainebleau, France. Widely planted; also naturalised.
    133819.jpg
  • Exmoor Service Sorbus subcuneata (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 10m. Modest tree (lumped within Sorbus latifolia agg. by some authors). LEAVES Ovate to elliptical with shallow-toothed lobes extending less than ¼ to midrib; 8-9 pairs of veins. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Fruits are brownish, to 12mm long, with numerous lenticels. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Scarce and local, confined to Sessile Oak Quercus petraea woodland on Old Red Sandstone, mainly in the valley of the East Lyn, around Watersmeet in N Devon.
    133820.jpg
  • Wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana Caprifoliaceae Height to 6m. Small, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Brown. Branches With rounded, greyish, hairy twigs. Leaves Opposite, to 14cm long ovate and toothed. Reproductive parts Flowers white, 5-petalled, to 8mm across, in rounded heads about 10cm across. Fruits oval berries about 8mm long; ripen red to black. Status Native, favouring calcareous soils; also planted.
    133793.jpg
  • Wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana Caprifoliaceae Height to 6m. Small, spreading deciduous tree. Bark Brown. Branches With rounded, greyish, hairy twigs. Leaves Opposite, to 14cm long ovate and toothed. Reproductive parts Flowers white, 5-petalled, to 8mm across, in rounded heads about 10cm across. Fruits oval berries about 8mm long; ripen red to black. Status Native, favouring calcareous soils; also planted.
    133792.jpg
  • Peach Prunus persica (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 6m <br />
Small, bushy and rounded deciduous tree. BARK Dark brown. BRANCHES Straight, with smooth, reddish, angular twigs. LEAVES Alternate, lanceolate, finely toothed, often creased into V-shape. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS Pink flowers, to 4cm across, are usually solitary; open at same time as leaf buds; yellow-tipped anthers. Fruits is familiar peach, to 8cm long, rounded and downy, flushed pink; sweet, juicy flesh when ripe. Seed contained inside a woody, thickly ridged ‘stone’. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION Probably native to China but long cultivated elsewhere. Here, it does best in a walled garden.
    133744.jpg
  • Saint Lucie Cherry Prunus mahaleb (Rosaceae) HEIGHT to 12m. Often little more than a spreading shrub, but sometimes a small tree. BARK Greyish-brown and ringed with brown lenticels. BRANCHES Spreading, the young twigs covered with short greyish hairs and often slightly weeping at the tips. LEAVES Alternate, up to 7cm long and almost rounded, with a short point at the tip and a rounded or nearly heart-shaped base. The margin is finely toothed, the upper surface is glossy and the lower surface finely downy. REPRODUCTIVE PARTS The white, scented flowers, which open in April–May, grow in clusters of 3–10 in groups of racemes at the end of leafy shoots. The 5 petals are about 8mm long and surround the yellowish anthers. The fruit is a 0.6–1cm-long ovate or rounded black berry with bitter-tasting flesh surrounding a smooth rounded stone. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION A native of central and S Europe, growing in woodland glades and thickets. Planted in our region for ornament and naturalised occasionally.
    133711.jpg
Next