July 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Anthony Darby]

Ian, aren't your first (white) ones Gentianella amarella? G. campestris only ever has 4 petals.

[cohan]

Chimaphila is a charming plant, once which I have not seen in person-doesn't seem to quite make it this far out of the mountains...

It was a new one for me. As for mountains, I've just checked the map and the photos were taken at the dizzy height of 100meters. I don't anywhere in Lithuania is much over 250metres.

Close to 1000 m here, but still far from the mountains...lol The location likely has nothing to do with the altitude, but glancing at the distribution map for Alberta, it seems to follow the mts pretty closely; may be one of those plants which survived the ice age in unglaciated corridors in the mountains.. ironic...

[ichristie]

Hello Anthony, well that is new to me and I can't argue but two years ago I sent pictures to RHS, reply from expert was gentianella campestre will try again great to hear from you, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[meanie]

Good to see everyone getting the results that they work towards.

Seems a strange season this year - my Digitalis lutea is still producing a flower spike, yet the Zauschneria californica is in full bloom already. And my Gloriosa superba has stopped growing already (although the blooms were all concentrated into quite a short period giving a wonderful display).

Anyway, my next offering should make the American members chuckle and holler "weed"!! It's Datura wrightii from seed sown in March. The blooms are huge - this one is 17cm across and 23cm long. Wonderful scent too!

[Diane Clement]

Hello Anthony, well that is new to me and I can't argue but two years ago I sent pictures to RHS, reply from expert was gentianella campestre will try again great to hear from you, cheers Ian the Christie kind. 

If it is G amarella, then it's ssp septentrionalis which is the subsp in Northern Scotland and Iceland - Flora Europaea says "Corolla creamy white within, reddish-purple outside"  that bit seems to fit.

[Anthony Darby]

The key in Clapham, Tutin and Warburg uses the number of petals (4 or 4/5) to separate campestris (four petals) from the rest (four or five petals). The other key point is that campestris petals are broader and overlap, whereas amarella petals never overlap.

[shelagh]

Sounds like an impressive firm of Solicitors Antony.

[Anthony Darby]

Perhaps more reliable than Swindel, Grabbit and Runn? Flora of the British Isles by C, T & W has been the standard work on the subject for nearly 60 years.

[Lesley Cox]

Sounds like an impressive firm of Solicitors Antony.

And the botanical point in question Shelagh, might take years in court and untold costs, to resolve.

[Anthony Darby]

...........and no doubt, somewhere, there is the exception that proves the rule, which will be used in evidence?

[FrazerHenderson]

A couple of shots of a splendid, southern hemisphere plant now flowering in our garden in Scotland...

Drosera dichotoma

[johnw]

Turn your back on Rhodohypoxis for a moment and they get dry despite being over-potted in this deep trough.  As you can see the flowers are going over.  A one hour stint dead-heading and a thorough soaking with a bit of fertlizer in the hope they will start flowering again.  Is dead-heading really necessary as I have never had a seed pod form?  Do you snip the flower head off or gently tug pulling the entire flower stem out?

johnw

[johnw]

A couple of shots of a splendid, southern hemisphere plant now flowering in our garden in Scotland...

Drosera dichotoma

A lovely flower on the Drosera Frazer. Thanks for the reminder on Drosera as I must get out to the coast where we once spotted a few non-native Drosera longifolia.

johnw

[johnw]

Celmisia splendens which in late February develops an alarming case of the droops. This has happened the past 2-3 years.   It has recovered but is it normal behaviour?

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

I wouldn't have thought it was normal John, but is this an Australian species? In which case, enough said. It looks very fine now. Otherwise I'd be thinking it probably was suffering from dryness, and plunge the pot in a bucket of water overnight.

Rhodohypoxis do set seed but not in pods, just in little cup-like arrangements on top of the stem so don't trim over if you want to find some. I'd never bother dead-heading. I don't think they produce a lot of seed but it is possible to collect a little, small and black. I was able to get 4 seeds from the dead stems of the hybrid, earlier in the year, a dug off piece that a friend gave to me. They haven't germinated yet.