Bog Asphodel
Narthecium ossifragum
Bog Asphodel is a striking yellow and orange spiky-looking flower of boggy, wet grassland.
Size
The flower-spikes grow from 10 to 40 cm tall.
Time to see
The best chance to see one in flower is between June and August.
It used to be thought that if cattle ate the plant they would get brittle bones and this gives rise to the second part of the scientific name ' ossifragum', which means 'bone breaker'. In fact the lack of available minerals and nutrients, particularly calcium, from the soils on which the flowers grow, is the source of cattle ailments.
