Shepherd’s Needle Scandix pecten-veneris

Shepherd’s Needle (Scandix pecten-veneris) – named for the remarkable long, comb-like fruit that follows its small white flowers – was once a familiar arable weed across Britain but has declined dramatically through herbicide use and modern farming. It is now a rare plant, largely confined to a small number of sites on calcareous and sandy soils in southern and eastern England. Suffolk retains some important populations, particularly on the chalky boulder clay and Breckland margins, where sympathetic arable management has helped sustain them. It is an annual reliant on regular soil disturbance, and conservation headland management is key to its survival. Image: © Stuart Read, Flickr.

Find out more: iNaturalist, Plantlife, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora