Flowers and foliage now - November 2008

[ichristie]

A completely different plant found flowering outside today it is Shizocodon intercedens, it hasn't noticed that we have had snow and hard frost but I have taken it under cover as it was in a pot. cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Paul T]

Ian,

Very cute.  What is the whole plant like?  The flowers are reminiscent of a Soldanella, at least a little. 

[johnw]

I wonder if anyone can identify this Malus species?  It was raised by a friend from seed that I gave him. As best I recall it was a species received from the Arnold Arboretum but I seem to have no notes recorded for it.  Only one seedling survived.

It puts on a marvellous show every year.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

I cannot give a name, John, but I wish there were more Malus as good as that about, for sure!

[johnw]

Today I drove from Yarmouth, NS in southwestern Nova Scotia to Halifax.  For the first 150km the roadside was awash in Ilex glabra  with black berries and Ilex verticillata covered in berries, mainly orange or red, even pastel shades of both.  Yellow berried forms are known. They look so great against a crystal clear blue sky.

The biggest I saw was 3m high and 5m across, unfortunately it hadn't dropped its' leaves. I'll try to shoot it next week - usually from a distance as they grow in very wet areas.

The first shot is Ilex glabra, the only evergreen holly native to Canada and it occurs only in Nova Scotia.  The others are Ilex verticillata and one could spend a lifetime seeking superior forms.


johnw   - first light frost threatening tomorrow tonight - the Nerines are nervous.  +7c  

[Miriam]

Some flowers from today:
Colchicum stevenii-wild flower from Israel.
Zephyranthes candida from Argentina and Bulbine frutescens from South Africa.

[Kenneth K]

I believe the correct (latest?) name of Ians plant is Shortia soldanelloides var intercedens. Here a picture , where you see a little more of the plant. (and from the more normal flowering time, that is may)

[WimB]

Ian and Kenneth,

very nice Shortia/Schizocodon. It seems there's a lot of debate about the name. As a beginner (I only have S. uniflora, illicifolius and soldanelloides var. magnus) with this (or these) species I like to use the classification that is used in this text: http://www.barnes-botany.co.uk/shortia.html

Although I'm not sure it is the correct classification.

[Maggi Young]

I think that many use Schizocodon for the Japanese species and Shortia for the American ones....

[johnw]

Philip MacDougall, having scoured Korea last month, returned to Taiwan for the third time and is now there.

I thought you might be interested in a picture he just sent of a Silene - I assume from Mt. Morrison.  Hopefully he will post many more when he returns - only for a short while though as he is off to southernmost Chile in January.

johnw

[derekb]

In the Alpine house today I saw this 10 inch pot of leaves and I thought I have never seen an article about this odd one out in Fritillaria davidii, I am not sure I am the right person to write about it as up to now I have never had a flower but I must be getting better as the expert where it came from said earlier in an Email that they only had 4 flowers this year that means I am not so bad as about 5 years ago they had 16 maybe next year. This Frit comes from SW Sichuan growing with Ferns and Corydalis flexuosa, it needs repotting in early June as roots form very early it also needs a lot of water.
Fritillaria davidii,

[Maggi Young]

Derek, an acheivment in itself to have such a HUGE potful of Fritillaria davidii.... even without it flowering... hang on in there, the flowers MUST come one of these years!!

[ichristie]

Dear Maggie all, I am confused sometimes when the powers that be change names of plants but here are som Shizacodon and Shortia pictures taken this morning, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[hadacekf]

In sunshine Oxalis  massoniana flowers in my bulb bed.

[Maggi Young]

Your Oxalis massoniana is a cheerful sight for these colder days, Franz, it is enjoying the sun as much as we do!