October 2010 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Calvin Becker]

The flowers on Aponogeton are indeed peculiar

 Wonderful sculpted flowers.... and they smell delicious!

They're edible too. Here's a recipe to make waterblommetjie (translates as water flower) bredie, a South African dish using the flowers and buds.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/aponogetondist.htm

[Lori S.]

They're edible too. Here's a recipe to make waterblommetjie (translates as water flower) bredie, a South African dish using the flowers and buds.
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/aponogetondist.htm

Isn't that amazing!  However, with only a couple of flowers at present, we could only make the tiniest of appetizers...

Thalictrum delavayi var. decorum is about 1m tall, and starts to bloom in late summer for me.  (I don't get much rebloom on much of anything here.)

Here is a key for and a description of Symphyotrichum ericoides pansum... haven't absorbed these yet, but here they are for your interest, Mark...
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250067642
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250068830

[Stephenb]

They're edible too. Here's a recipe to make waterblommetjie (translates as water flower) bredie, a South African dish using the flowers and buds.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/aponogetondist.htm

Interesting, Calvin. I read about this plant in Ben-Erik van Wyk's excellent book People’s Plants. A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa(http://www.namibiana.de/people-s-plants-a-guide-to-useful-plants-of-southern-africa.html). I hadn't realised I'd seen it before now. I saw the distinctive flowers in a wetland area at the Hillier Arboretum in Hampshire, England this summer but I couldn't find a plant label! Must try to get a tuber!

[TheOnionMan]

Here is a key for and a description of Symphyotrichum ericoides pansum... haven't absorbed these yet, but here they are for your interest, Mark...
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250067642
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250068830

Thanks Lori, I have looked at these.  Frankly, the sublevel distinctions are hooey in my opinion.  I've examined many populations of Aster ericoides, and widely diverse forms can be found in close proximity.  The separation of var. pansum fails to take into account dwarf caespitose forms found in eastern USA, well beyond the so-called range of var. pansum by about 1000 miles.

What is also interesting about this species, is that it is widely misunderstood and misidentified species in Europe.  The Flora of North America link you gave has this to say: "A number of aster cultivars are sold under the name "Aster ericoides." These are all derived from European garden plants and are either cultivars of S. dumosum, S. lateriflorum, S. pilosum, or S. racemosum, or hybrids involving one of those species and another taxon. The misapplication of the epithet ericoides dates back to the nineteenth century and has persisted in the horticultural literature".

I noticed this myself when doing searches on Aster (Symphyotrichum) ericoides and the small number of valid ericoides cultivars , there are many European sites that still sell fancy hybrids that look nothing like A. ericoides, but are identified as such.

I include a photo of my large Aster mound... 3 white-flowering species, A. ericoides, A. pilosus, and A. lateriflorus (white form), the planting as large as a shrub, about 5' tall x 10' across.  The difference between these species is evident upon close view, but from afar, they can look similar.

[Lori S.]

Very interesting, Mark, and nothing I know anything about, needless to say!  (The plants I bought years ago of Aster ericoides ssp. pansum were from a woman in town who has a business of collecting wild seed and growing up plants for various projects, so I'm pretty confident they at least were not cultivated plants, anyway.)

We went from 23 deg C on Thursday, to snow all morning on Friday and -3 C overnight...  no new blooms here!

[Mike Ireland]

Flowering now is Tricyrtis macrantha macranthopsis, even though the urban foxes have twice dug right underneath to try and make a den.

Mike

[Maggi Young]

That's areal favourite of mine, Mike, and looking very good after all that foxy abuse!
 Wish I could say the same for mine, which has dwindled and is, now that I think about it, no longer alive! 

[TheOnionMan]

Flowering now is Tricyrtis macrantha macranthopsis, even though the urban foxes have twice dug right underneath to try and make a den.

Mike

Oh the memories   Thanks for showing this wonderful fall bloomer.

I grew this for 4-5 years, perhaps the most spectacular of all Tricyrtis, but the area in which it was planted was persistently tunneled by moles and chipmunks, and I eventually lost it... tears again

The most amazing aspect of this plant is hard to capture on camera, at least on my lousy entry-level cameras, is that the articulate, divided, ornamented purple style has a ring of golden "flakes" that glisten in sunlight, I've never seen anything quite like it.  So, I upload a couple photos (of my long departed plant... sniff, sniff) where you can sort of see the style articulation, but we need Cliff or Olga or someone with a better camera than mine to show that detail, with sun shining to see the reflectivity.

[Stephenb]

Gorgeous, never seen it in full flower. My only picture is of a plant at RHS Rosemoor in Devon in bud and what is it growing next to? Apparently, Aster ericoides prostratus! Picture taken in 29th September.

Haven't succeeded with it here - too late I guess as is T. hirta...

[TheOnionMan]

Gorgeous, never seen it in full flower. My only picture is of a plant at RHS Rosemoor in Devon in bud and what is it growing next to? Apparently, Aster ericoides prostratus! Picture taken in 29th September.

Haven't succeeded with it here - too late I guess as is T. hirta...

Stephen, you have woven the threads together, well done!  Tricyrtis macranthopsis is the only species that persisted through a number of years, typically my garden seems the kiss of death on Tricyrtis and they never last more than two years.

PS:  I can find the names T. macrantha and T. macranthopsis, Flora of Japan maintains the two separate species, and cites "T. macrantha var. macranthopsis" as a synonym for T. macranthopsis.  Has the varietal status with macrantha been restored, if so, when?

[Mike Ireland]

Maggi/Mark

I struggled to cultivate Tricyrtis macrantha macranthopsis until I was told it was seen growing in the wild with a constant mist/spray from a waterfall.  Also if the foliage is in direct sunlight it scorches really badly & the flower buds abort.  Even though the foxes dug up a large amount, which ended up bare rooted and dry, all pieces with roots have survived.  I also spray the plant daily with water in warm weather.

Mike

[TheOnionMan]

Maggi/Mark

I struggled to cultivate Tricyrtis macrantha macranthopsis until I was told it was seen growing in the wild with a constant mist/spray from a waterfall.  Also if the foliage is in direct sunlight it scorches really badly & the flower buds abort.  Even though the foxes dug up a large amount, which ended up bare rooted and dry, all pieces with roots have survived.  I also spray the plant daily with water in warm weather.

Mike

Good to know Mike, in case I get the plant again.  I had no particular problem cultivating the plant, and it even got some direct sunlight and the spot was rather dry (though I think it would've been happier in a more moist situation). It just couldn't tolerate the incessant tunneling by moles and chipmunks in the area... I should have have moved it sooner as I did with several other embattled plants in this particular bed.

[Maggi Young]

Maggi/Mark

I struggled to cultivate Tricyrtis macrantha macranthopsis until I was told it was seen growing in the wild with a constant mist/spray from a waterfall.  Also if the foliage is in direct sunlight it scorches really badly & the flower buds abort.  Even though the foxes dug up a large amount, which ended up bare rooted and dry, all pieces with roots have survived.  I also spray the plant daily with water in warm weather.

Mike

 I knew about the watery habits of the plant and so planted it close by a bird bath, so it was splashed with water when the birds bathed and when the bath was cleaned out or overflowed..... I thought it would regard the position as heaven on earth.Flipping thing just went to heaven. 

[KentGardener]

Spent the afternoon in my garden with a national collection holder (NCCPG) of Asplenium scolopendrium.  While we were chatting about ferns a few Cyclamen attracted my attention.  Some quick pictures before the sun sets for winter....  (well the way the temperate has dropped in the last half hour it feels like winter is arriving!)

[TheOnionMan]

Splendid leaf forms John, worth growing even if they never flowered, but in the case of cyclamen of course the flowers are good too.  You have quite the collection.