M.Chapman Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Can anyone help ID this plant this flower spike, see DG7Y9G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Location? It's a big world Cheers, Philippe Appears it was taken in Oakham, Rutland, England. But I have no idea what the plants name is, sorry. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Chapman Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Location? It's a big world Cheers, Philippe Yes it was taken in Oakham UK. But it was in a garden containing plants from around the world. Wish I'd taken one of the foliage too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Burrows Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 My guess would be Pokeweed either Phytolacca americana or P. polyandra. Do you have any pics of the young flowers as most of those in your pic have started to form berries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLSI Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The fruits are reminiscent of pokeweed (Phytolacca sp.), and a web search for that genus turns up some promising images (though you need to scroll down a bit). See for example http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricksman/6649945321/ For future reference, plants in botanic gardens tend to have labels (you may need to hunt a little to find one), and I try to take a shot of the label before or after I take photos of the plant. If I'm not sure which label goes with which plant, I'll take photos of any likely candidates and Google the names later. [Edited to correct for a touch of dyslexia in reporting the genus name.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLSI Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Chris beat me to it! I'm in Phytolacca americana country, though, and I've never seen it look nearly as showy as the OP's photo (nor am I aware of cultivated varieties, though I can't rule out the possibility). P. polyandra seems a more likely candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Chapman Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks for all your help. Phytolacca was the clue I needed and I agree after Googling loads of images that P.polyandra (=P. clavigera) looks like the one. Agree with your tip about photographing the plant labels (I usually do), but this specimen was in densely planted border where I just couldn't go rummaging about too much. Yes it is a fine specimen, I think they must have given it lots of mulch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Barnsdale has Phytolacca americana for sale. I do not know a lot about plants (nor does Google), but I do know how to use Google. (And have been to Barnsdale.) wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Chapman Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 Wim Thanks. I hadn't thought of checking what plants they have on sale. Derrr... The specimen I photographed was in their garden as opposed to the plant nursery, but I see they don't sell polyandra. Mmm... looks like I may need to recheck this one. I live close-by so next time I'm there I'll take another look at the borders as the plant label may now be visible as the foliage dies back. Many thanks. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLSI Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 In my experience, botanic gardens sell only a small subset of the plants they display. According to Wikipedia, there are about 25 species of Phytolacca worldwide, and if some of them have been cultivated (the plant in the photo Wim found looks like it has been bred for upright spikes and tighter clusters than the wild-type that grows in my area) and hybridized, there may simply not be enough info in your photo to identify it to species. For most purposes, identification to genus is sufficient, but if you do return and find a tag, I hope you'll report back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 In my experience, botanic gardens sell only a small subset of the plants they display. According to Wikipedia, there are about 25 species of Phytolacca worldwide, and if some of them have been cultivated (the plant in the photo Wim found looks like it has been bred for upright spikes and tighter clusters than the wild-type that grows in my area) and hybridized, there may simply not be enough info in your photo to identify it to species. For most purposes, identification to genus is sufficient, but if you do return and find a tag, I hope you'll report back! I agree, otoh Barnsdale Gardens is in the UK and is not exactly a botanic garden, but more of a show garden. Which is why I added I had been there. I quite liked Geoff Hamilton (1936-1996: 59 just as old as I am now and he died riding a bike; -oops). Many did: he was posthumously named Gardener of the Millennium in 2000. - Can anyone who ever saw him on Gardener's World, say the words raised from seed or from cuttings or read the word hypertufa without hearing his voice? Without him, Barnsdale had to make a living any which way they could and the nursery shop was part of that I guess. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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