Publications & Resources

Rare Plant Registers

The Vice-County Rare Plant Registers are an initiative of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland to summarise the status of rare and conservation-worthy plants in each vice-county. The intention is to create an up-to-date summary of the sites of rare plants and their status at these sites. Rare Plant Registers intend to identify gaps in our knowledge, aid conservation efforts, and encourage monitoring of our rare plants. Registers for many other counties are available on the BSBI’s website.

• The Rare and Scarce Plants of North Northumberland, 2011
• The Rare and Scarce Plants of South Northumberland, 2020

Recommended Reading

Swan, G. A., (1993). Flora of Northumberland. The Natural History Society of Northumbria, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Graham, G. G., (1988). The Flora and Vegetation of County Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Durham County Conservation Trust.

Baker, J.G. & Tate, G.R. (1868) A new flora of Northumberland and Durham, with sketches of its climate and physical geography. Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Northumb., 2, 1-316.

Winch, N.J. (1831) Flora of Northumberland and Durham. T. & J. Hodgson. Newcastle. Download it here and here.

Useful websites

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland – Founded in 1836 as the Botanical Society of London and welcomes both professional and amateur botanists. The society focuses on the study of botany in the British Isles.

The British Bryological Society – For the study and conservation of mosses and liverworts worldwide.

The British Lichen Society – The first society in the world entirely devoted to the study of lichens.

The Natural History Society of Northumbria – Everything you might want to know about NHSN including details of their field meetings, lectures, and nature reserve.

Common by Nature – James Common regularly writes about his botanical finds across Newcastle and Northumberland on his personal blog.

Help Identifying Plants Online

BSBI Plant Crib – Sections from BSBI’s ground-breaking publication make the identification of complex plant families much easier.

NatureSpot – Perfect for beginners, this online resource hosts species accounts for many plants also found in the North East.

Arable Plant Crib – A series of helpful crib sheets for the UK’s arable plants from the Colour in the Margins project (now ceased).

Common’s Cribs – A new series of beginner-friendly crib sheets exploring the identification of various plant families and groups.