This is common springtime plant which although it prefers calcareous grassland can be found on neutral soils as well. Most often it is a fairly smallish plant no more than 20 or 30 cm but occasionally you find tall ones like this which reach almost half a metre or more in height. The many cruciate yellow flowers around a hairy stem are the diagnostic feature and it is distributed through out Northern, central and southern England, East Wales and south Scotland.

Hedgerow near Gaitbarrows 10th May 2005

Added 0n 20th October 2005, updated 8th December 2008, updated 21st March 2010, updated 7th Dec 2012