Bluebell flowers are quintessentially English beauties that range in colour from white through lilac and shades of blue.
Although still common in Britain, bluebells are facing threats enough that they are classed as ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘Near-Threatened’. These threats are habitat destruction, collection from the wild and cross-breeding with the non-native Spanish variety.
Since 1998 it has been illegal to collect native bluebells from the wild for sale in a bid to protect them.
The sticky sap can cause dermatitis but was traditionally used fletch feathers to arrows and also to bind pages in books. The bulbs were crushed in Elizabethan times to provide starch for the famed ruffs.
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Spot the difference
Native bluebells
- narrow leaves around 1cm wide
- tube-like flowers that droop with tips curled right back
- flowers align along one side of the stem only
- distinct, sweet scent
- anthers with pollen usually cream
Spanish bluebells
- broad leaves around 3cm wide
- conical or bell-shaped flowers with spread-out tips
- flowers wrap around whole stem
- little to no scent
- anthers with pollen usually blue
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