Plants
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Bog Asphodel
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Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum)
Bog Asphodel is a conspicuous plant of raised and blanket bog
preferring open, wetter areas. It is between 10 and 40cm tall
and consists of an erect leafy stem, which terminates in a group
of 6 - 20 star-like yellow flowers at its apex. These flowers
appear between July and September after which the whole plant
takes on a warm orange hue before dying back over winter. It
was once thought that cattle grazing on this plant suffered
from brittle bones and this is reflected in the plants Latin
name of ossifragum, meaning 'bone breaker'. In fact the lack
of calcium in bog plants as a whole would have lead to nutrient
deficiencies in those cattle that grazed there. Widespread throughout
Northern Ireland.
Click here to view a distribution map of the Bog Asphodel
in Northern Ireland.
