Field Madder - Sherardia arvensis

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Description

This plant has small pink to lilac flowers with four petals. The leaves vary from hairless to being covered in thick bristles and are in whorls of between 4 and 6.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Arable land and waste places.

When to see it

May to August.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

Widespread but local throughout Britain.

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 28 of the 617 tetrads.

  • David Gould
    Wolsey Island, Leicester
    15 May 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Fleckney
    16 July 2016
  • Andy's Rutland
    Public footpath on headland-Love's Lane to Gunnel Lane Meadow
    24 May 2018
  • martindgrimes
    Great Casterton
    27 September 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Egleton, field edge
    31 October 2022
  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    13 June 2014

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Field Madder
Species group:
flowering plant
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Gentianales
Family:
Rubiaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
53
First record:
26/05/2012 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
07/10/2025 (Pugh, Dylan)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    26 May 2012
  • David Gould
    Wolsey Island, Leicester
    15 May 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Egleton, field edge
    31 October 2022
  • Graham Calow
    Devitt Way, Broughton Astley
    02 June 2017
  • David Nicholls
    Fleckney
    16 July 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    26 May 2012
  • David Gould
    Wolsey Island, Leicester
    15 May 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    13 June 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    13 June 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Ketton Quarry
    13 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Devitt Way, Broughton Astley
    02 June 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Devitt Way, Broughton Astley
    02 June 2017
  • David Nicholls
    Egleton, field edge
    31 October 2022