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Yellow-wort

©Philip Precey

Yellow-wort

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Scientific name: Blackstonia perfoliata
A plant of chalk and limestone grasslands and sand dunes, Yellow-wort has butter-yellow flowers. Its distinctive leaves sit opposite each other, but are fused together around the stem.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 40cm

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

June to October

About

Found on chalk and limestone grasslands and sand dunes, Yellow-wort is a low-growing annual that flowers between June and October. Like other members of the gentian family, its yellow flowers close during the afternoon. Its waxy, bluish-green leaves help the plant to retain water in the arid conditions in which it thrives.

What to look for

Yellow-wort has butter-yellow, cup-shaped flowers with six to eight petals. It has pointed, bluish-green leaves that appear in opposite pairs, but are fused together around the stem, so look like one leaf.

Where to find

Mainly found in Central and Southern England, and Wales.

Habitats

Did you know?

Chalk grasslands bloom with wildflowers all summer long, supporting important populations of butterflies, moths and other invertebrates. In these special places, Yellow-wort can be found alongside Bee Orchids, Common Rock-rose, Horseshoe Vetch and Greater Knapweed.