Herb-paris - Paris quadrifolia

Alternative names
Herb Paris
Description

Low to short hairless, often patch forming plant with erect stems. It has four leaves in a single whorl halfway up the stem. Flowers, solitary, erect yellowish green and starry, four to six parted the sepals lanceolate pointed, the petals thread like with stamens prominent. The fruit is a berry-like capsule, black when ripe and splitting to reveal bright red seeds.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Woodland and damp shady habitats.

When to see it

Late April to June

Life History

Perennial

UK Status

Widespread but local in Britain.

VC55 Status

Uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 12 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Herb-Paris
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Liliales
Family:
Melanthiaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
18
First record:
20/05/2009 (Neville, Dave)
Last record:
05/04/2024 (Markham, Marian)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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