A Bunch Of British Wild Flowers Quiz

Answer: Red Rose

Lancashire has been the red rose county since the Middle Ages, when the House of Lancaster adopted it as a heraldic badge. Love is what most people associate with this red flower and sending someone a bouquet of red roses is still the most popular way to say "I love you".

Answer: Cowslip

Cowslip (Primula veris) grow wild in rural pastures and meadows, along road verges, quarries and railway banks. In Worcestershire, they are called 'cowslups' as they flower where a cow has 'slupped'. They were a familiar sight in Elizabethan knot gardens and both the flowers and leaves often used to be eaten in salads.

Answer: Fritillary

Some of the best known fritillary (fritillaria meleagris) fields are in Oxfordshire, along the flood meadows of the river Thames. The plant belongs to the lily family and they thrive among meadow grasses and along the edges of woodland.

Answer: Poppy

Other names for poppy (papaver rhoeas) include 'corn poppy', 'field poppy', 'Flanders poppy' or 'red poppy'. The plant is associated with heavily disturbed and cultivated ground, hence the symbolic association with the battlefields of World War I, and why swathes of scarlet blooms often appear in cornfields.

Answer: Hop

Kent is known as the garden of England and the area is equally known for its hopfields and oast houses. Wild hops are unobtrusive climbers in hedgerow and thickets and they are sometimes found twirling up telegraph poles. Hops are used mainly as a flavoring and stability agent in beer making.

Answer: Heather

The flowers of heather (calluna vulgaris) are much favoured by bee keepers, as the honey produced is thick and dark. The young shoots of the heather plant are the main food of red grouse, and gamekeepers burn away the old plants at regular intervals to ensure plenty of fresh new growth. Gypsies believe that carrying a sprig of white heather will bring good luck.

Answer: Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle (lonicera periclymenum) is a vigorous climber with green, oval leaves. It is commonly found in hedgerows and is a great addition to a wildlife garden. It can be trained up a wall or fence, but looks best scrambling through a hedge. Another name for the honeysuckle is 'woodbine'.

Answer: Primrose

Both flowers and leaves of the primrose (primula vulgaris) are edible. The leaves can be used to make tea and the young flowers can be made into primrose wine. The plant was important in the past as a remedy for muscular rheumatism, paralysis and gout. This is not to be confused with the 'evening primrose' (oenothera) that produces seeds used to make oil

Answer: Dog-rose

The dog-rose (rosa canina) is the largest of British wild roses and was originally called the 'Dag Rose' due to its dagger-like thorns. It produces scarlet hips in the autumn, sometimes known as 'dragon's eyes'. The hips are edible and high in vitamin C and were used to make rose-hip syrup during World War II.

Answer: Mistletoe

Mistletoe (viscum album) is a parasite you will find growing on the branches of trees and shrubs. They rely on their hosts for water and mineral supplies by sending roots into the bark. The most popular host is the apple tree. Hanging mistletoe and kissing loved ones, or complete strangers, underneath the sprig is a hugely popular Christmas custom. The mistletoe was considered lucky during Anglo Saxon times because it was the favourite plant of Freya who was a goddess of love, fertility and beauty.