Wildflowers

[Turtle]

i have tried to id this little beauty in my yard for years now. :doh: turns out it was in my washington field guide, but the photo was of a clump from a distance & virtually useless for a clinch. got it now boy! . . . . . :)

 

 

Blue Stickseed -Hackelia micrantha aka Jessica Sticktight, Meadow Forget-Me-Not

october 2009

suburbia

clark county washington - native

 

blooms 6mm in diameter

 

 

Species account: (i note that this source does not report the species in my county of clark. ) Hackelia micrantha - WTU Herbarium Image Collection

[jab2]

Since my photographic interest in wild flowers are well known at work, the care of our indigenous garden was sort of pushed on to me without the option to say no. I thus take a close peek ever second day or so. The garden is now 9 years old and has started to seed itself, it seems. Last year I found two types of ground orchid appearing out of nowhere. The one, I'm 90% sure it's a Disa, has now multiplied to about 15 clusters, all from seed. The other one was in harms way and I transplanted it in a pot. After flower it disappeared and is suppose to show again in the following month or two. That is if it survived.

 

But the subject of my post is a different beauty. I saw this union like plant appearing in an area which was totally covered by wild garlic. I had this removed because it gave a cultivated look to the garden. I told the garden worker not to remove it because I was curious what it was as the leave structure was alternating steps of short bract like fleshy leaves, something I have never seen. Anyway, last week it started flowering. To my amazement it turned out to be a Ferraria, possibly F Crispa. I have seen Ferrarias in books and was aware of the delicate petal structure. Having seen this now in real live, no photo can truly show it's beauty. It opens in the morning, closes that night and is all shrivelled up the next morning.

 

So guys (and ladies) I present Ferraria Crispa.

 

[Turtle]

Since my photographic interest in wild flowers are well known at work,...

as well as at hypography. :evil: :evil:

 

...But the subject of my post is a different beauty. I saw this union like plant appearing in an area which was totally covered by wild garlic. I had this removed because it gave a cultivated look to the garden. I told the garden worker not to remove it because I was curious what it was as the leave structure was alternating steps of short bract like fleshy leaves, something I have never seen. Anyway, last week it started flowering. To my amazement it turned out to be a Ferraria, possibly F Crispa. I have seen Ferrarias in books and was aware of the delicate petal structure. Having seen this now in real live, no photo can truly show it's beauty. It opens in the morning, closes that night and is all shrivelled up the next morning.

 

So guys (and ladies) I present Ferraria Crispa.

 

 

gnarly!!!

 

flower season is just about over here in the great pacific northwest united states, so my photos must needs subside with them. nonetheless, my interest is still keen & i look forward to more photos & descriptions from y'all not so encumbered. thanks for sharing jab. :shrug:

[Michaelangelica]

Has it bloomed out yet? Also, can you get a shot of the leaves and maybe one of the whole plant?

 

Btw, nice hat! :phones:

My first thoughts on this was a Labiatae (Lamiaceae), but then a closer look at the flowers dissuaded me. Have you a close up shot of the flower Turtle?

 

Are the stems square Turtle?

 

It doesn't look like the Wiki photo of M.arvnsus to me but then Lamiaceae is a big (10,000+) group of plants and I'm no botanist.

[Turtle]

 

My first thoughts on this was a Labiatae (Lamiaceae), but then a closer look at the flowers dissuaded me. Have you a close up shot of the flower Turtle?

 

Are the stems square Turtle?

 

It doesn't look like the Wiki photo of M.arvnsus to me but then Lamiaceae a big (10,000+) group of plants and I'm no botanist.

 

i pulled up the plant so no more examining it. stems were not square. main stem was roundish, reddish, and woodyish. as i say, there was no minty odor or taste, so whatever it was, it wasn't mint. this photo is the best i took. B)

[freeztar]

 

 

 

i pulled up the plant so no more examining it. stems were not square. main stem was roundish, reddish, and woodyish. as i say, there was no minty odor or taste, so whatever it was, it wasn't mint. this photo is the best i took. B)

 

Not all mints have a minty smell. Like MA said, it's a very vast and diverse family.

 

From the picture, it appears the stem is square.

[Turtle]

Not all mints have a minty smell. Like MA said, it's a very vast and diverse family.

 

From the picture, it appears the stem is square.

 

any reference to some not being aromatic? wiki implies otherwise. define "vast". B)

 

... Mentha (mint) is a genus of about 25 species (and many hundreds of varieties[1]) of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (Mint Family). Species within Mentha have a subcosmopolitan distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia,[2] Australia, and North America. Several mint hybrids commonly occur.

 

Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herbs. ...

 

 

Mentha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[freeztar]

any reference to some not being aromatic? wiki implies otherwise.

 

So you're trusting wiki over my word? :clue:

 

Here ya go:

 

You can safely sample any member of the Mint family. Some species like the Coleus, a house plant with red and green leaves, have no aroma at all, while a patch of the more potent Agastache may bring tears to your eyes just passing through.

Lamiaceae: Wildflowers of the Mint Family (Labiatae). Pictures and help with wildflower Identification from Thomas J. Elpel, author of Botany in a Day. The easy way to identify flowers.

 

define "vast". B)

I guess that is vague. I should have said numerous.

[Turtle]

So you're trusting wiki over my word?

 

Here ya go:

 

Lamiaceae: Wildflowers of the Mint Family (Labiatae). Pictures and help with wildflower Identification from Thomas J. Elpel, author of Botany in a Day. The easy way to identify flowers.

 

I guess that is vague. I should have said numerous.

 

:hyper: from your source:

... The 5 petals are also fused together, but note how asymmetrical or "irregular" the flowers are, compared to the more symmetrical or "regular" Mustard flowers. Some Mint flowers are much more irregular than others, but if you study them closely you will see that they typically have 2 petal lobes up and 3 petal lobes down. ...

 

do the flowers in my photo look irregular? nope. as i said also, the stems weren't square. given that i no longer have the plant, i'd say the subject is moot. B)

[freeztar]

The flowers obviously do not look like mint flowers and I wasn't insinuating that you had a mint. Just trying to clear up some misconceptions. :)

 

Speaking of which, bedstraws (Galium) have square stems, but they are not in the mint family.

[Turtle]

The flowers obviously do not look like mint flowers and I wasn't insinuating that you had a mint. Just trying to clear up some misconceptions. :)

 

Speaking of which, bedstraws (Galium) have square stems, but they are not in the mint family.

 

:hyper: mighta said so off the bat. :) ;) post #32 for a native bedstraw & a photo in which the square stem is vastly apparent.

[freeztar]

the square stem is vastly apparent. :hyper:

:)

 

I did use "vast" correctly, btw.

 

1. Very great in size, number, amount, or quantity.

vast - definition of vast by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

[Turtle]

I did use "vast" correctly, btw. ;)

 

yes; but i didn't hold that against you. :hyper:

 

i haven't posted this photo yet, and there is no mistaking or quibbling as to what it is. this beauty has the power to either heal or kill. widespread here in the pacific northwest, it is an invader from eurasia.

 

white foxglove - Digitalis purpurea

june 28, 2010

green mountain regional park

clark county washington - introduced

 

 

Foxglove poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Poisonous Ingredient

Deslanoside

Digitoxin

Digitalis glycosides

Where Found

Flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds of the foxglove plant

Heart medicine (digitalis glycosides) ...

 

Digitalis purpurea - WTU Herbarium Image Collection

[jab2]

Ochna Serrulata is a small South African shrub that make a very nice container plant. One of the common names it have is Mickey Mouse bush. With a little imagination one can see why. Specially in nature where it often have only one berry attached to the red base. The base is green and turn red when the berry starts developing. The berry is green till ripe when it turn black against the red base background.

 

Curiously enough, but like many South African plants, it is not widespread in SA gardens, yet is cultivated extensively in Hawaii and has taken on weed status in New South Wales and Southern Queensland, Australia as Michaelangelica can probably tell you.

 

 

[Turtle]

this is the current predominate state of wildflowers here in county of clark. :omg: :cry:

 

Rudbeckia hirta

 

recently while shopping at borders books for a strange loop, i looked at the wildflower guides. no sign of freezy's recommended work, but i had it in mind. :) there was a large format washington state wildflower book, but the descriptions were poorly organized and inconsistent. :naughty: coffee table clap-trap! :rant: :D but i was there with cash burning a hole in my pocket so i picked up a turtleback copy of National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region. judging from this advert, i overpaid. :doh: :shrug: who ya gonna call? i love it! >> Amazon.com: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region

 

i have heard that the indian plum -Oemleria cerasiformis may bloom as early as february 'round abouts here, so i may have to haunt some of my forests in search of them.

good stuff maynards. :Alien: :bouquet:

[Turtle]

i have heard that the indian plum -Oemleria cerasiformis may bloom as early as february 'round abouts here, so i may have to haunt some of my forests in search of them. :D

good stuff maynards. :Alien: :lol:

 

:hyper: talkin' to myself again then!? :hyper: more like trying to goad myself into getting off the heating pad and givin' myself a reason to need it. :lol: but it worked. :( went to lechtenberg park for an hour today in search of blooming indian plum, among other things. will post lechtenberg stuff later in that thread. but, found it!! well, not blooming yet, but budding all over the place and its february 5th. :) 'course this means i have to keep going back 'til it blooms :eek: & hope i go often enough i don't miss it, :doh:, again after 5 years. :doh: :doh: :D

 

so, here's my thumbnail shot of the buds, & though i've not scrutinized them before, i'm thinking the inner roundy ones are flower buds. :) time will tell. :D

 

bud of indian plum - Oemleria cerasiformis (aka oso-berry and skunk bush)

february 5, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington - native

[Turtle]

Waaahhooooo!!! went back to lechtenberg today (got loads for that thread coming. ;) ) and i found some indian plum blooming. the tree looked mature, trunk about 2" and many branches with blooms. these flowers develop in racemes, and only the first blooms are evident so far. they were also high up & i only saw them looking down as i walked along the top of a large fallen oak. chaos favors the prepared imagination! well...wahoooo!!!

 

indian plum - Oemleria cerasiformis (aka oso-berry and skunk bush)

february 7, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington - native