Common weeds
Ground-ivy is a perennial common in hedge banks and found at times as a weed in arable crops and on the margins of arable fields. Ground-ivy is typically a plant of shaded areas and is native in woods, grassland and waste places usually in damper, heavier soils.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive rhizomatous perennial introduced to the UK from Japan between 1825 and 1841 as an ornamental plant and as cattle fodder. It forms tall thickets with a dense leaf canopy that exclude other plants even bracken.
Hoary cress is an introduced, erect rhizomatous perennial found on waste ground, roadsides, railways, arable land, pasture and on sandy soil by the sea. It is often limited to hedgerows and field margins but can invade agricultural land.
Lesser celandine is a native perennial common throughout the UK in damp meadows, woods, lawns, hedgebanks and beside streams and ditches. It thrives in nutrient rich soil and is a troublesome garden weed.
Meadow buttercup is an erect perennial, native in grassland especially on damp and calcareous soils.
Mouse-ear-hawkweed is a stoloniferous perennial, native in short grassland on well-drained soils. It occurs on calcareous pastures, heaths, banks, rocky places and walls, and is locally common throughout the British Isles.
Perennial sow-thistle occurs widely on arable land and waste ground throughout the UK. It is native by stream sides, waysides on banks, dunes and shingle.
Common toadflax is a native herbaceous perennial with an extensive spreading root system. Common toadflax occurs in hedgebanks, waysides, woodland clearings and waste grassy places on dry, well-drained gravelly, sandy or chalky soils.
Perforate St John’s-wort is an erect, rhizomatous perennial native in dry grassland, hedgebanks and open woodland. It is a garden rather than an arable weed but can be a problem in lightly grazed or poorly managed pasture.
Procumbent pearlwort is a matted native perennial frequent on paths, ditch sides, in lawns and occasionally in short turf in pasture throughout the UK. It occurs occasionally as a summer or winter annual.