Plant of the day is: Gladiolus tenuis or thin Gladiolus

Plant of the day is: Gladiolus tenuis or thin Gladiolus

    I haven't been up on the plant of the day due to other ventures in paying the plants forward.  I'm teaching my first college level class on plant propagation this spring so all of my extra plant energy has been put to that task of late.  I may find time here and there to fit one in, but until June things will be a bit hectic.  With that being said, enjoy a plant today.

Taxonomy, etc.:  Gladiolus is a member of the Iridaceae family which is a monocot family that contains the famous Crocus and Iris genera.  The family name is based on the Iris (type genus) which was coined by none other than Carl Linnaeus sometime around 1753.  Lots of awesome genera in that family ( I recommend a look at Sparaxis and Tritonia for starters but that's just my 2 cents).

Gladiolus is the diminutive of gladius which means sword.  If you use your imagination it's really not hard to see where that description fits in.  The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa.  Sorry Americas, no glads for you.  The genus contains around 260 species and of those species 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa.  I did NOT know that, that's amazing really.  So this Gladiolus tenuis is one out of 10 Eurasian species, nifty.

Range/Habitat: The Greater Caucasus.  Subalpine zone, boggy meadows.  Likes meadows in floodplans and terraces above floodplains. 

Description: Grows to a height of about 40-70cm from ovate corms.  For me, the flower spikes of Gladiolus are very unique, for an adequate description of the genus in general, head here let me Wiki that for you.  As far as a basic eyeball hint as to this particular species, it is apparently called thin Gladiolus, which seems well named based on the leaf size.

Culture: As you can see from the photos, it grows in full sun.  It need plenty of moisture.  From the Russian wiki (thank goodness for translate feature), it can germinate in winter, autumn, and spring.  I can share with you that seeds stored for just over a month in a moist baggie of peat based media, then placed in a 40F fridge saw radicles JUST emerging 3 months later.  Seeds placed in a 4" pot of standard potting mix are thriving thus far.  These seeds were cold dry stored for several years and may have had some dormancy removed from this storage.  They do store well though, that we know.

As for culture requirements here in St. Louis...keep it well watered near a sunny water bank and we'll see!

Photo Credit: http://orenzap.ru/foto/zhivotnyij-i-rastitelnyij-mir/rasteniya.html

Photo Credit: http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/72386.html

Photo Credit: http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/59854.html

Plant of the day is: Digitalis trojana or Helen of Troy foxglove

Plant of the day is: Digitalis trojana or Helen of Troy foxglove

So I'm admittedly a very tactile person and this plant stopped me in my tracks one day.  The leaves, oh the leaves.  They feel amazing to the touch!  Soft, nice, peaceful.  They make lambs ears seem a paltry offering in my opinion.  They're just wonderful, the flowers are nothing to scoff at either, a lovely peachy orange.  Sometimes a plant picks me, so here it is.

Creative Commons 3.0 Unported Ghislain118 (AD)

Taxonomy/etc.:  I actually had no idea that the Digitalis genus was as small as it is.  There are only around 20 species (a few more if you consider some accepted hybrids).  They are now in the Plantaginaceae or plantain family which has swallowed several genera recently.  A very close relative of the horticulturally popular Penstemon.  I'll admit, I've had problems in the past keeping the latin names straight with the common names.  I finally found an unlikely ally to remember them.  BP = Beardtongue + Penstemon.  Digitalis is just foxglove, I've got no help for you there, you'll just have to remember by exclusion.  Members of the family are native to Europe, Asia, northwestern Africa, and Australasia.  Wait, what?  Australasia, a region of Oceania comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the island of New guinea, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean.  You learn something new everyday folks.  No native Digitalis here in the US as far as I know (please correct if I'm wrong), which is nifty.

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Peter A. Mansfeld

Range:  Wouldn't you know, it's indigenous to Turkey.  A randomly appropriate Thanksgiving type plant of the day/week (more on that).

Description:  Unlike many other members of the genus which tend to be biennials, D. trojana is a hardy perennial growing somewhere between 60-90cm (I've got to folks, it's an international thing as much for me as it is you).  Leaves are lanceolate with fine gray haired margins.  Flower stems emerge from an evergreen rosette (we shall see).  The initial rosette leaves after germination are the fuzzy ones I mentioned above.  VERY curious to see how the stem leaves compare.  Blooms June-August.

Culture:  Reportedly hardy to USDA zones 5 and 6.  Leaves are lanceolate with fine gray haired margins.  Supposedly long blooming and a bit more drought tolerant than some other Digitalis.  Tolerates a pretty wide range of soils and light.  One source said sunny, one source said shady.  Perhaps part sun?  A few reports say on the sunnier side and that feels right to me.  Try it in sun.  It DOES come from Turkey after all.  Seed stores fairly well and germinates easily.

Not impossible to obtain, but a little uncommon.  If nothing else, worth germinating for the feel of the basal foliage.  It's luxurious.  Like velour, but better.

As for the name, I really wish I had a good story for you.  After trolling through about a dozen sites, I didn't find a dang thing.  I like the plant, don't get me wrong, but maybe not enough to launch a thousand ships for it.

Plant of the day is: Leonurus quinquelobatus or motherwort

Plant of the day is: Leonurus quinquelobatus or motherwort

I don't have a good common name for you on this one because its pretty difficult to find a lot of information on.  Some of the best stuff I can find is here: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30070964#page/135/mode/1up.  

A huge shout-out to the tireless workers digitizing some of these texts.  That is BORING work but so important.  Thank you.

Taxonomy/etc.:  Leonorus is a pretty small genus of only about 25 recognized species in the Lamiaceae or mint family.  It's fascinating (for me) looking back through botanical texts like the above for odd tidbits.  In this one, he/she mentions L. villosus as being an unacceptable synonym for L.quinquelobatus because of a questionable herbarium sample that was garden grown with damaged stems and crisped leaves.  The leaves you see coming out of the inflorescence below generally only show about 3 lobes while the leaves down the steam show the 5 lobed look.  Quinquelobatus assuredly means 5 lobes, in reference to the leaf.

Description:  It's in the description page above.  I have a headache.

Culture/etc:  It's a mint, kinda.  A lot of members of this family tend to be very easy to care for BUT ...be warned.  Members of this family can also be weedy.  L. cardiaca is in fact an introduced species throughout ...most of North America. http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=5923.

Growing a closely related cousin of this certainly raises some caution signs.  

Range:  Soviet Union...ish.  I think.  Harder to find info for this than L. cardiaca.  Drop into a genus with just a couple of well documented species and stuff starts getting difficult.  Of late I've really realized just how MUCH work there is to do in the plant world.  Important work.  Anyways, it might be tough to see this plant but if you keep an eye out on your outside adventures you might just bump into its invader cousin L. cardiaca.

Fun Fact!:  Motherwort because it is used in Chinese medicine and has been used to treat UTI's and the like.  Supposedly has some alkaloids that are nice sedatives to rival Valeriana (valerian).  

Let me google those images for you.

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Credit: Franz Xaver

Sadly not good CC material showing plant in habit or the true leaves. :(.

Plant of the day is: Codonopsis lanceolata or bonnet bellflower

Plant of the day is: Codonopsis lanceolata or bonnet bellflower

Flora Japonica, Sectio Prima (Tafelband) by Philipp Franz von Siebold and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini

United States public domain tag 

Kusumoto Ine

If there are any other plant nerds reading this, maybe you noticed the name Siebold.  Does sieboldii sound familiar?  :).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Franz_von_Siebold  Absolutely worth a click, and if you want a REALLY interesting story, also click on his daughter Kusumoto Ine,  a fascinating Japanese physician.

Now, on to the plant stuffs!

Taxonomy/etc:  Codonopsis is a relatively small genus occurring throughout Asia, with several species endemic to China.  The Wiki page actually does a really good job noting the habitats of the various species.  A member of the Campanulaceae family with it's bell-shaped flowers and fruits that are berries or capsules.  This family has seen some work of late with at least two genera Gadellia and Symphyandra being shuffled into Campanula.  Notable members of the family include the always awesome Platycodon (balloonflower), Campanula (bellflower) and Lobelia.  For an extremely endangered and also extremely awesome plant, I recommend checking out Nesocodon mauritianus one of only 3 red nectar producing flowers in the world.

Yasunori Koide Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Description:  Occurring in eastern Asia, this perennial twining vine can grow to 5m tall and 1-2m wide.  Twining means that it just wraps its stem around stuff and goes about growing unlike a vine with tendrils (grape) or aerial roots (poison ivy).  Flowers are greenish, nodding, and bell shaped and can have some neat looking violet spotting on them.  Leaves are elliptic-ovate and clustered at branch ends.  For a good botanical definition, the filaments are subulate or slider and tapering to a point; awl-shaped.  Which ...then you need to know what awl-shaped is.  Just can't win eh? :)  Fantastic botanical description through Flora of China here: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=610&taxon_id=200022912

Qwert1234 CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Culture:  Can be grown similar to Clematis on a trellis.  Full sun to part shade.  Although it may be the lateness of the growing season I am seeing some slight interveinal chlorosis on some of the leaves, it may want a little lower pH soil or a heavier nutrient feed.  Keep an eye out.  It is only hardy to about zone 6 and will die back to the ground each winter.  Here in St. Louis we toe the line from 6a to 5b on any given winter so I would suggest locating in a sheltered spot and mulching well for the fall.  A plant probably better suited slightly south of us with a milder winter.  Not difficult to germinate from seed and I would be curious to try some various types of layering on it.  Purdue Guide to Layering

Fun stuff:  The roots are actually a common element in Korean cooking. It's close relative C. pilosula is an important medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine. 

That's all for now folks,

Enjoy.

Plant of the day is: Eccremocarpus scaber or Chilean glory flower

Plant of the day is: Eccremocarpus scaber or Chilean glory flower

Public Domain!  But to give credit, from Curtis's botanical magazine 1878.  Awesome. 

Sometimes plants just manage to find me.  It's kind of a weird thing, I wind up around one and then again seemingly randomly a few weeks later the same plant will pop up and stick in my head.  This plant of the day gets the nob because it is fairly insistent that I give it it's fair due.

Taxonomy/etc.:  Eccremocarpus is a very small genus with only 3 accepted species.  The other two are E. viridis and E. huianaccapac.  Boy am I glad I'm not doing E. huianaccapac today, just TRY and say that five times fast.  It is a member of the Bignoniaceae or bignonia family.  Nearly all the members of Bignoniaceae are woody except for a few vines and subshrubs.  Eccremocarpus falls into the territory of semi-woody and would be considered a liana or woody climbing vine.  As a fun fact, Bignoniaceae is another of those families that has really benefited from phylogenetic analysis and has been considerably condensed down to about 86 accepted genera.  The family is noted for it's tubular flowers and you can see a member of the family every year in the late spring.  Catalpa trees with their large leaves and white flowers make for quite the show here in St. Louis every year.  I look forward to it next year.

Description:  From Chile!  And Peru too I believe.  A fast-growing, slender, evergreen (where hardy) perennial climber.  It has clinging tendrils (twiner I believe), pinnate leaves, and terminal clusters of tubular, reddish orange flowers.  Flowering occurs nicely from late spring through the fall.  If grown in a hardy environment it will reach an ultimate height of about 3m with a spread of 1-2m but that can take between 2-5 years.  Cultivars of this are available in the horticultural trade, which I'll get into...now.

FarOutFlora CC 2.0

Culture/Usage:  Commonly used as an annual ornamental as it has some very colorful and unique flowers and is not one of the more aggressive vines.  Will reportedly fill out a 2m X 2.5m trellis very well in a growing season (get our your calculators Americans).  It is only hardy at about zone 8 or 15F (I took pity on ya).  It can actually die mostly back to the ground in a season and return if the roots stay warm.  Requires full sun, very full sun.  It likes a lot of light and moist but well drained soils.  Can be overwintered but can attract mites and whiteflies ...which you definitely don't want.  It recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM).  Germinates very readily from seed stored upwards of 2 years.

Hort tip:  Pair up with Asarina scandens 'Joan Lorraine' for a fantastic color display.  If you do it, take a picture.  I want to see it.  I bet it's amazing.  You'll be trading in a bit more purple if you do it right because Asarina prefers light shade and you'll lose a bit of Eccremocarpus flowering in lower light.

Super-extra-nerdy-bonus!:  Eccremo = pendant, carpus = fruit, scaber = coarse, rough, like sandpaper

Enjoy!

Michael Wolf CC 2.5 Generic

Plant of the day is: Rehmannia piasezkii or Chinese-foxglove

Plant of the day is Rehmannia piasezkii or Chinese-foxglove

Shizhao  CC BY 2.5

Rehmania sp.

Due to the fact that this is PotDs 50th post, I figured I'd treat you with an upfront and awesome photo.  A great looking flower, with some large and in charge leaves.  Looks pretty fuzzy huh?  Hirsute, we'll call that hirsute.

Taxonomy/Etc.:  Rehmania is a small genus of plants in the order Lamiales.  They are endemic to China.  The genus used to be included in a few different families and as of now seems officially recognized as a member of the Plantaginaceae or plantain family.  No, not that plantain silly, a different one.  The genus is named after Russian physician Dr. Josef Rehmann who was once an ambassador to China (I had to dig for that one).

An interesting fact, the family would normally be Named Veronicaceae as its 1782 reference predates the occurrence of Plantaginaceae in 1789.  Apparently it is a conserved name under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature or ICBN.  Apparently 1789 is the cutoff conservation consideration.  Oh those lines in the sand.  The family in general varies quite a bit in flower structure.  Plantago is that weed in your lawn, perhaps you even several species.  Go find it!

Description:  A perennial that grows about 50cm high by about 60cm wide.  Called Chinese-foxglove because of the resemblance of the flowers to Digitalis or foxglove.  They are closely related actually and now in the same family.  See the full description below.

A fantastic botanical description here: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200021239

Now if you've clicked this and went...whoaaa...what the!?  I sympathize.  Just kind of skim over the terms you don't know, maybe just a Google or two to look up a definition and it's not all that bad.  Some of these terms are fun and well worth knowing, I promise.  Villous = shaggy.  See, it's simple, learning is fun.

Michael Wolf  CC 3.0 Unported

Rehmannia piesezkii

I will say that the leaves of even young plants are QUITE large, they really make a statement.  I've seen descriptions of the leaves as glossy.  Flora of China rightly calls them as villous.  Has purple flowers that occur from May-Sep so it is actually a wonderful garden plant that flowers consistently through the summer.  The much more commonly planted species is Rehmannia elata but I think this would do nicely as well.  

Habitat:  Found on mountain slpes 800-1500m.  Somewhere in China.  Frustratingly difficult to find good documentation on exactly where.  I will likely keep an ear to the ground on this one and come back and add this information when I find it.  

Culture:  Typically listed as USDA hardy to zone 8a or 10b.  This plant MIGHT make it in a very well sheltered site in 7 but zone 6 is pushing it.  That being said, if you can find a warm nook (next to a building maybe?) anything is possible.  I have a zone 8 perennial I've tricked into coming back for the last 3 years, get clever.  It prefers light shade and flowers best under cool conditions.  With that being said, it may actually be well suited for a rock garden if you can find a shadier spot.  The plant does not like to fully dry out but the larger leaves can rot if too wet.  The solution would be to mulch around the plant with stone or plant directly into a rock garden.

Germination:  Even stored seed does fairly well and will readily germ on mist/humid environment after a few weeks.  Seedlings transplant well into larger containers as far as I can tell.  It is a fast grower and once established will really impress.  Will require plenty of space so leaves don't overlap and shade each other out.  

Unfortunately those are about the only license friendly photos that I could rustle up.  This blog here, which is definitely not in English has some great up close photos of the leaves and flowers.

http://www.actaplantarum.org/floraitaliae/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=53946

Plant of the day is: Spartium junceum or Spanish broom

Plant of the day is: Spartium junceum or Spanish broom

Well it has a yellow flower and it is from Spain, so I like those things.  Invasive on the west coast, so I don't like that.  Not the plants fault though, I sometimes have to remind myself to not be annoyed AT a plant, and remind myself that it was just a dumb humans fault I have to contend with it.

Taxonomy, etc:  A member of the Fabaceae family, Spartium junceum is the sole member of the monotypic genus Spartium.  There are a whole slew of synonyms and unresolved listings for other species of Spartium, but the taxonomists apparently just aren't having it.  Sadly within the last few mintues I haven't found much else of taxonomic interest so I'll make a reference to the flower structure of legumes, because they are usually VERY identifiable by their flowers.  Here is a diagram showing one of their distinctive flowers.  NOT a Spartium ...just an illustrative picture.  The notable feature is the banner and keel of the flower.

Wisteria sinensis flower, to give credit to the plant.

CC BY-SA 3.0

Habitat:  Originally a native of the Mediterranean region and southewest Asia and and northwest Africa.  Now it exists in several places throughout the world, it is found here in the United States along the western seaboard and is listed as invasive and/or a noxious weed in most of those states.  Also listed in Hawaii as well, I don't think they want it.  Here is a fun map of California invasive info.  http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Spartium+junceum

Description:  Alright, now to the fun part about the plant, because it is an interesting and beautiful plant.  It is one of 4 nonnative invasive species that occur in North America.  It is a perennial shrub that grows between 3-5m, usually more along the 3 side I should think.  Stems are long, slender, and erect with very little branching, making for a nice habit.  The stems are cylindrical which harkens back to its species designation as junceum means 'rush like' ...like rushes Juncus.  It's got Juncus in the trunkus.  Stems are green when young and eventually develop a more woody look.  Leaves are very small and ephemeral and tend to only remain on the plant for about 4 months or so.  Why you ask?  Well, it's a pretty drought tolerant plant and leaves are a big source of transpirational loss.  The solution, just go ahead and photosynthesize right out of that stem, they do that.  Flowers are yellow about 1-2cm across and fairly good sized seed pods of 8-10cm can open with an audible crack when mature.  Pods have around 10 to 15 seeds in them.  Neat.  I wanna hear one.  This of course helps eject the seed which remains present in the soil or soil bank, as it is called, for several years, making control of established areas difficult.  The roots, apparently change quite a bit dependent on the slope and type of soil, which is laudable.  

Culture:  Monrovia lists this as zone 7-10 while other sites list it as zone 8 hardy.  In all likelihood Saint Louis is still too cold for this plant to hang around as a perennial.  Any given year could produce a winter cold enough to really knock it back.  How well seeds handle exposed cold, I don't know.  They like it hot, dry, and sunny.  Situate appropriately.  Does not appreciate root disturbance and requires a bit larger container if you are wanting to start from seed.  Don't start in a seed tray, I'll say that.  

Great info from the forest service on this, as they've done some assessments for fire potential.  Dense colonies of this can form, and provide very good tinder for forest fires during periods of drought.

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/spajun/all.html

Fun (or not so fun) facts:

• Originally planted in California in the ornamental trade in 1848 in San Francisco.  
• In the 1930s it was planted along mountain highways in southern Californa.  Great idea!
• Humans are, historically speaking, dumb when it comes to moving plants.
• LESS of an invasive species than the other brooms, Scotch (Cytisus scoparius) and French (Genista monspessulana).
• Branches can be made into brooms (ahhhh broom...there it is).
• Yellow die can be made from the flower.
• An oil from the flowers is used in perfumes.

That's it for now really I suppose, if you do try it, situate it in a protected but sunny position (tall order I know) and do keep an eye out for seedlings and by all means, let me know if you see any, I'm curious.

Great image of the habit.

CC BY-SA 3.0 Hans Hillewaert

Up close on the flowers, very leguminous

CC BY-SA 3.0 Kurt Stuber

Even better shot of the flowers, a good one.

CC BY-SA 2.5 Photo Credit: שריף עסאקלה

I believe the above picture was taken from the Maghar village in Israel.  Neat.

Plant of the day is: Kitaibelia vitifolia or ??

Plant of the day is: Kitaibelia vitifolia or Cedar Cup

(kit-ay-BEE-luh    vy-tee-FO-lee-uh)

I'm not really trying to focus down the mallows here but I came across this genus in my travels and went..."uhhhh what is that!?".  So when I don't know something, I look it up.  It's a thing, it works.  Actually the Ontario Rock Garden's Plant of the Month for February of 2014.

http://www.onrockgarden.com/plant_of_the_month/2014-02

Taxonomy, etc:  Like I mentioned, it is a member of the Mallow family.  It is a genus of all of 3 species and only 1 of them is accepted, so basically I don't feel so bad about not knowing it.  The genus was named after Paul Kitaibel, and 19th century Hungarian botanist.  The common name is a little unclear, I've seen it as Yugoslavian Hibiscus, Russian Hibiscus, chalice, cedar cup and vine-leaved Kitaibelia.  Previously, this monotypic genus was include with Malope and Palaua but are distinguished by the precense of a schizocarpous fruit with the mericarps arranged spirally or in several superimposed whorls.  Yeah, you know, that.  Oye.  We'll do two parts of that.

1.  Schizocarpous:  A dry fruit that, when mature, splits into mericarps
2.  Mericarp:  A carpel with one seed (generally)
3.  Carpel:  The entire structure of the stigma, style, and ovary.

Let me google illustrative examples for you.

User: Denis.prevot CC BY-SA 3.0

Description:  This particular plant is a hardy perennial with a height of about 2m up to maybe 2.5m.  They are all and upright so not very wide, probably around a meter.  Flowers are white to sometimes a little light pink and around here will flower in late August to late October, which is a great time of year for a big plant with big white flowers.  Petals are fringed at the centers and stamens are a nice looking yellow that surround the style.  The five green sepals have plenty of space to show through between the petals, which is a nice look I think.  Flowers are born from the leaf axis and are singly produced or sometimes in 2's or 3's.  Leaves ...you guess it they kind of look like grape leaves.

Range:  Yugoslavia, Croatia, Balkans (Levant-ish)

Culture:  Will take part sun to full sun.  A few pictures I've seen have it situated in some pretty good shade.  My bet is that it will grow fine (maybe even better) in shade with decently moist shade, but it probably won't give you as good of a flower show.  For best results, try to aim on a spot that gets some good direct sun for a few hours and some decent shade in the afternoon.  It likes to be a little on the moist side, but may be pretty tough, who knows.  Mallows in general tend to surprise me in their flexibility when dealing with water.  Listed as zone 5-8 from several sites so I feel that's likely accurate.  The great thing about this plant is it's size, it's pretty uncommon to find a herbaceous perennial of this size that will tolerate shade well.   Some notes I've read on this say it actually prefers nitrogen poor soils, so maybe don't baby it too much, cut it loose.

Propagation:  I've read a few different things, I've seen references of 6 month 40F stratification (which is likely absolutely bonkers) to immediately sowing.  Here is what I've tried, results pending:  scraped a bit with sandpaper (seeds are somewhat small and difficult to really nick well) and then soaked for 2 days.  We shall see.

Obtaining:  You will be very hard pressed to find this in a nursery or garden center.  You CAN however, easily get seed from several sources.  Likely a fairly easily seedling to get going, and it looks like it is well worth the effort.  Definitely a plant worth going out on a limb for.

Enjoy.

User: Rolf Engstrand  CC BY-SA 3.0

Fun facts:

• Has some possibly antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.
• Try cutting back to promote bushiness.    
• Can be found around the Lower Danube, which is a river in Europe.  A neat one.
• Apparently, extracts of this plant may be an alternative for curing meats.  Nitrites and all, ya know, prolly not the best for you.  Here is an abstract.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174014000758

Plant of the day is: Kalmia latifolia or mountain laurel

Plant of the day is: Kalmia latifolia or mountain laurel

The Ericaceae or heath/heather family is one of my weaker families in terms of plants I can associate.  Someone was kind enough to point out today that this plant doesn't grow all that far from here and is certainly worth hunting down on a hike through the forests of the east.

Taxonomy/etc.:  As I mentioned it is a member of the Ericaceae family whose members generally prefer acidic soils and/or infertile growing conditions.  It is a pretty big family with 151 recognized genera and around somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 species depending on the count of infraspecific names.  Infraspecific you ask?  Taxonomists love to break down the variations in species even farther with a subspecies, Cannabis sativa subsp. indica would be a great example.  Sometimes these divisions are clearly warranted and others I'm sure are just absolute nonsense.  But anyways, cranberry, blueberry, huckleberry, azalea, and rhododendron are all key members of the family.  The family name is earned from the genus Erica.

Description:  Leaves are elliptic, alternate, leathery, and dark glossy evergreen above and the bottom of the leaf is a yellow green.  Has some truly wonderful flowers that you can find in a variety of colors but generally white to pink.  Flowers occur in the spring.  Generally grows as a dense rounded shrub somewhere between 1.5 and 4.5 high and wide.  In its natural range I'm sure it grows much larger than it would ever get here in Saint Louis.  In it's natural range it can reportedly get up to 30 feet tall.  I'd love to see one that large in flower...some day.  Flowers are corymbs (similar to a panicle but with the lower flowers having longer stems (peduncles)) that are about 15 cm across.  Each individual flower is about 2.5 cm across which as I'm sure you all know is about 1". 

Range:  I really feel lazy on this one and I may just start doing this, because let's face it, it's a MUCH better description than words and all you have to do is click on this:  http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=KALA

Culture:  Think along the same lines as Azaleas and Rhododendrons, they're pretty close in terms of requirements.  They prefer acidic soil of 4.5 to 5.5 (mostly b/c they can't take up Fe at higher pH...ahhhh science), moist soil but soil that is also well drained and not stagnantly wet.  Raised beds or hilly areas will help with the growth but do keep in mind they will dry out faster and may require some supplemental water (definitely here in a Saint Louis summer).  If growing from seed, it has been found that seed aged 2-4 years old is still 71% viable, so that is a plus.  After 8 years it's about 20%.  Stratification greatly increases germination, a 40F strat for 8 weeks increases germination % by 40%.  Just put em in the fridge for awhile.  Here's more info than you ever wanted to know about this plant...

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/kallat/all.html

Fun facts!:  

• Linnaeus (yeah, THAT Linnaeus) named the genus after Pehr Kalm who sent him samples in the 18th century.  
• Has been called spoonwood because native Americans used to make spoons out of it.
• A very toxic plant, even honey that is made with it is toxic and bitter tasting.
• State flower of Connecticut

Want to see one?  I'll be trying to verify this but the Missouri Botanical Garden may have one alive in the Rhododendron Garden http://livingcollections.org/mobot/taxon/279967?tab=accessions .  Isn't that a great tool?  Now you know.  Find any plant you want in the garden.

Also, making you lot work for the photos, as it takes some work to do all legal and proper like.  Some great thicket like growth on the bottom.  Love it.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cillas

CC BY-SA 3.0

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Eric_in_SF

CC BY-SA 3.0

Chris M Morris - https://www.flickr.com/people/79666107@N00

CC BY 2.0

Plant of the day is: Lavatera thuringiaca or tree lavatera

Plant of the day is: Lavatera thuringiaca or tree lavatera

I've had the pleasure of walking past several Hibiscus lasiocarpus or rose mallows this summer on a near daily basis and it has been a real treat.  While not a native like H. lasiocarpus, Lavatera thuringiaca has some fantastic looking flowers and, I think, some neat foliage.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nordelch

Taxonomy, etc.:  Lavatera thuringiaca is a member of the Malvaceae, or mallow, family.  While Wiki will try to convince you there are as many as 25 species, theplantlist.org only shows 13 species as recognized.  The genus is named after the Lavater brothers, 17th century Swiss physicians and naturalists.  The trend of physicians and botanists is rather absurd if you start looking.  This particular species is more Mediterranean but there are a few in central and eastern Asia, California and Mexico, and Australia.  Sadly a few species have naturalized in places they shouldn't be.  Lavatera thuringiaca itself is listed as introduced in much of Canada, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Minnesota.  Many L. thuringiaca listed in trade are likely hybrids between it and L. olbia and are supposed to be named Lavatera x clementii.  A few cultivars are RHS Award of Garden Merit winners.  

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Botaurus_stellaris

Description:  Lavatera thuringiaca is a tomentose (matted hairy) sub shrub (small shrub often with wood only near the bottom).  I've seen the leaves described as cordate (heart shaped) but they are really more palmately lobed with 3-5 lobes.  The leaves almost remind me of a red maple.  Flowers, as you can see are purplish pink and have 5 petals with an interesting little notch in them.  Can actually grow fairly large up to almost 2 meters in heigh and 1 meter in width (I'm going to convert all of you to the metric system yet!).  

Native Range:  S.E. Europe to W. Asia - Armenia to Caucasia.  L. thuringiaca subsp. thuringiaca occupies most of that range noted above and has upper leaves bluntly lobed while L. thuringiaca subsp ambigua is found in Southern France, Italy, and the western Balkans and has upper leaves that are acutely (sharply) lobed.

Culture:  Reports of hardiness shift between 6 and 7 to 10.  PFAF.org lists it as hardy to -20C (alright it's -4F) which is certainly possible here in Saint Louis on any given year. Can grow in a fairly wide range of soils but does need full sun.  Overly fertile soil can often promote too much vegetative growth and steal from that wonderful show of flowers.  The top growth will often die back during cold weather and it can be cut (reportedly! don't quote me) be cut back to the ground any time between late autumn and spring. Fairly easily propagated via seed and possibly soft cuttings in the spring.

Uses:  Technically has some edible parts that don't appear to be particularly tasty.  Does however have some great fiber that you can get from the stems to make ...stuff you'd make with stringy stuff?  The moth Bacculatrix lavaterella use them as a host plant by mining the leaves.  If you're in France, Sardinia, or Sicily in December and happen to see these ...look out for some larvae.  But honestly, with a habit and flower like that, it would be a little crazy not to try and cultivate a plant like this just for the flowers and mass appeal right?

Enjoy.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Franz_Xaver

Random musing on mallows.  Chances are, you see a Hibiscus syriacus or rose of Sharon on a near daily basis.  It's almost easy to tune them out but I do my best to notice and appreciate.  Hibiscus seem to be on quite the annual use kick as well, with some very unique cultivars available.  

Additional material:  

http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Lavatera/herbaceous.html

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lavatera+thuringiaca

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavatera_thuringiaca

http://www.perennials.com/plants/lavatera-thuringiaca.html

Plant of the day is: Hypericum coris or Heath-leaved St. John's wort

Plant of the day is: Hypericum coris or Heath-leaved St. John's wort.

Yellow is by far one of my favorite colors of flowers, something about the reminder of the sun.  That and the insects generally love the color as well.  The late show of the goldenrods is a bittersweet reminder that the fall is right around the corner.  With that being said, still some time to enjoy the summer and delve into an interesting species of Hypericum or St. John's wort.

Taxonomy:  Hypericum is the type genus for the family Hypericaceae which is sometimes included in the Clusiaceae family.  The family contains about 11 recognized genera, all others of which I have absolutely no clue what they are.  Time for some homework on this one.  The genus Thornea better have thorns though!  Within the genus Hypericum there are about 490 species, making it a fairly large genus with a nearly worldwide distribution.

Description:  A small evergreen shrub that only grows about a foot wide by a foot high.  Leaves are narrow and almost needle-like in appearance.  Leaves are opposite and occur in whorls of four to six leaves.  Flowers are obviously yellow and occur in terminal clusters with 5 petals and numerous prominent stamens.  The fruit is a dry capsule which splits to release numerous small seeds, very small seeds indeed. 

Native Habitat:  Found throughout the South of Europe and many parts of the Levant.  Grows on the hilly parts of the island of Crete.  Ahhh Crete, someday we shall meet.

Culture:  A good plant for a rock garden.  Needs full sun with well drained soil.  Is hardy from about zones 4-9.  One book reference mentions an equal parts rough loam, sand, and grit situated between two stones.  From all the pictures I've seen, very rocky places should be investigated for H. coris.  Despite the drainage requirements it does like a little water.  Easily grown from seed (no significant dormancy that I can tell) and can be propagated from cuttings as well.  

Here are some pictures.  Enjoy.

Image Credit: Kurt Stuber GFDL

Image Credit: Kurt Stuber GFDL

Image Credit: Ghislain Chenais GFDL

Plant of the day is: Morina longifolia or Himalayan whorlflower

Plant of the day is: Morina longifolia or Himalayan whorlflower

This plant spins me right round.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stan_Shebs

Not hard to see why they call it the whorl flower.  There seem to be a bunch of flowers circling the stem, in some kind of a whorl like fashion.  Fascinating.

Taxonomy:  Until fairly recently this genus occupied the family Morinaceae and was the the only genus (monotypic).  It has now been moved into the significantly larger Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family which includes such favorites as Abelia, Centranthus, Cephalaria, Kolkwitzia (long time since I've spelled that), Valeriana, Weigela, and who could forget the crowd favorite Lonicera.  A lot of Caprifoliaceae members in cultivation now that I look at it.  Pretty neat.  I planted Weigela today and watered Valeriana.  Anyways, there are about 12 recognized species in Morina so it is a fairly small group of interesting plants.  M. persica is taller with spinier foliage and M. coulteriana has pale yellow flowers.

Description:  Flowers in the family are generally tubular funnel shaped or bell like and these follow suit.  We'll go with trumpet shaped, which is how they are described often enough.  Flowers tend to start more white and then fade to a pink/crimson color.  It is a hardy perennial in zones 5-9 (ish) which reaches about 1m in height and about .4m wide.  As you may have guessed it originates from the Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan at altitudes of around 3000-4000m and flowers from June-September.  Has linear/lanceolate leaves that are dark green and a bit glossy.  Mind the spines!  The leaves have spines along the leaf margins, there are selections of this plant and it seems to be slightly variable in terms of their severity.  The bracts are quite noticeable as well and really remind of a kind of Jetson's platform for the flowers.

                                  

Just lovely that is.

Culture:  Likes pretty moist loamy soils and will handle light open wood shade to full sun.  Can be easily grown from stored seed and germinates in around two weeks.  They do have decent sized cotyledons and germinate with a vigor so if you start them in a small cell/container be prepared to transplant into something larger VERY soon.  They DO have a taproot that travels several centimeters in a very short time.  Does not divide well.  In the Saint Louis summer I should think a little shade in the late afternoon would be a relief.  Well drained soil is really the key though.  

Random fun stuff:  The leaves reportedly have a spicy citrus kind of a scent to them, can't wait to try!  I read something that suggested they might irritate skin as well soooo maybe a mixed bag?  The stem, leaves, and flowers are used in Tibetan medicine and are said to have a sweet and astringent taste (I will not be eating them).  Named after this cool French physician and botanist (seems to be a trend for that really) named Rene Morin who has the fantastic distinction of producing, in 1621, the world's first plant catalog, Catalogus plantarum horti Renati Morini.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stan_Shebs

And one last fun fact:  In what I consider a brilliant move, yes very well done, the fertilized flowers change to darker colors so that pollinators are continually attracted to the newer flowers to help with maximum fertilization and seed production.  Isn't it great, how everything in nature has this wonderful place and strategy.  Brings a smile to my face.

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stan_Shebs

Plant of the day is: Lychnis fulgens or catchfly

Plant of the day is: Lychnis fulgens or catchfly

Photo Credit: Tatyana Shulkina 

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

I had it in my head that there would plenty of pictures of this plant to choose from online and I was sadly mistaken.  There really is a big need for more creative commons available plant photography.

That being said, this little link right here is more or less find-able if you know where to look so I see no reason I can't share.  http://livingcollections.org/mobot/Planting/1166394?tab=images There are a few others amazing pictures the world hasn't seen out there and of course let me Google that for you:  Google Images of Lychnis fulgens

Taxonomy, etc:  Another member of the Caryophyllaceae or pink family, Lychnis is a relatively small genus with only about 15 accepted species according to http://www.theplantlist.org/, my go to source for all things taxonomy.  A popular horticultural plant Lychnis coronaria (that I learned in school) is now Silene coronaria.  Those botanists are always keeping us on our toes and forcing website and textbook updates.  The difference between the two genera?  Lychnis members have 5 styles where Silene have 3, and seed capsules have 5 teeth compared to 6 in Silene.  Stems are also often sticky.  Catchfly...get it?

Description/Range:  A native perennial of Siberia, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan.  It is a hardy form zones 4-8 here in US and reaches a spread of about 1-2 feet (I can verify).  Flowers are an orangish-red?  I'm awful with that, but I love the color.  I'm a sucker for yellows, oranges, and reds.  Perhaps I'm drawn to the color of brimstone?  Flowers occur in few flowered cymes (see below) and the petals are two-lobed. Leaves are sessile (no petiole) and are ovate/lanceolate.  Here in Saint Louis, they flower early to mid summer and set seed around August.  As far as I know, seedlings are not common.  I'm not sure if the cold winter temps thwart germination or some other environmental contribution.

Culture:  Where I've observed it growing it grows in a dappled shade and more full midday sun.  A lot of information suggests that it likes very well drained soils and sunny locations but I hear tell of a planting that died under those conditions.  Observed site was a fairly moist rich soil in a fairly shady spot.  Still a good bunch of flowers considering the spot I thought.  I would venture that it prefers more of a moist woodland soil than some would give it credit for.  I may get the chance to tinker with that, I'll add notes if I find anything interesting.

Fun fact:  How do you say it?  Depends.  Listen here: http://www.memidex.com/lychnis+flower#audio 

Also, Lychnis comes from the Greek lychnos or lamp in reference to their bright flowers.

The prairie dropseed is running rampant right now, one of my favorite smells.  Apparently you love it or hate it.  JLee.

Plant of the day is: Moringa oleifera or miracle tree

Plant of the day is: Moringa oleifera or miracle tree

Ounce to ounce it contains 3 times more iron than spinach, 4 times the amount of vitamin A than carrots, and 4 times the calcium in milk.  It also is chock full of protein and a complete compliment of amino acids.  Leaves, fruit, seeds, and depending on who you talk to, the roots and flowers are also edible.  Now THAT is a plant made for mastication!

Taxonomy:  Moringa oleifera is a member of the monotypic family Moringaceae (I get to learn a new family in the process) which means it is the sole genus in the family.  Neat.  In simple terms it makes it a real standout of a plant.  You'd almost think a legume of some type from seeing the leaves and fruit pods but no, more closely related to a mustard than a legume.  An association that becomes apparent when looking at the oil content of the seed ...but more on that later.  There are 13 other officially recognized species of Moringa, with another notable shout-out being Moringa stenopetala (short petal).

Fruit pods.  Very large pods.

Range/Description:  It is a native of the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Northwestern India but is being utilized in many areas of the world now.  Most notably, efforts are underway to promote its use for nutrition and a sustainable food source in impoverished areas of Africa.  Honduras is also ramping up production.  I believe that it is evergreen or deciduous based on where it is growing (please correct if I am wrong).  It only grows to about 30 feet but can reach that height very quickly.  Reportedly can put on 20 feet of growth in 2 years, which is amazing.  Leaves are feathery and tripinnate with many small leaflets.  Side leaflets are elliptical while the terminal leaflet is more obovate and slightly larger.  Flowers are white,have five petals, and are borne in sprays and are fragrant.  Flowering begins just 6 months after planting, which is impressive.  The fruit pods (often called drumsticks) split lengthwise into 3 parts and contain about 20 brown seeds with 3 wings.  It is very drought tolerant and can be easily propagated by sticking cut branches about 3 to 6 ft long into the ground (I'd venture a hormone treatment helps).

Flowers n leaves.  Can see the tripinnate if ya look closely.

Uses:  Everything.  I'm blown away, seriously.  An oil (ben oil) can be extracted from the seed which has a very long shelf life, can be used in cooking, burned as fuel, and used as lubricant.  It may be one of the most useful plants for humans that nature has concocted, truly a miracle.  The uses for this plant are really too numerous for me to even get into here.  I will say that despite some reports that it might be unsafe to eat the root, I bet it's probably fine in small amounts, kinda like ginger.  Since it is so closely related to mustards, the root can be made into somthing similar to horseradish.  The seeds can be stir fried and have a taste similar to peanuts (maybe?).  It's food, it's fuel, oh did I mention it cleans water!?  Yes, the crushed seeds actually pull particulates down out of the water and lower bacterial concentrations.  That is cooler than cool.  I believe there is an operation in place in Africa using Moringa to purify drinking water.  Considering the massive need for vitamin A and clean drinking water in much of the tropics, this plant stands to improve the lives of many.

A plant well worth respecting and being thankful for.  A stark reminder that our lives are immeasurably improved by the world around us.  We're not separate from the world, just a participating member.  I'd like to see us participate a little more responsibly.  Utilizing a plant like this is a great step in the right direction.

Plant of the day is: Petrorhagia saxifraga or tunic flower

Plant of the day is: Petrorhagia saxifraga or tunic flower

An uncommon little perennial plant often coined as a 'miniature baby's breath'

Pronounced: pet-row-RAY-jee-ah saks-i-FRAH-ga .  It's for fun.

Greek origin: petros = rock, rhagas = chink

Latin origin: saxum = rock/stone, frangere = to break

Mixing and matching.  Oye.  See also family Saxifragaceae.  All this in reference to its propensity to grow in/around rocks.

Taxonomy:  Another member of the Caryophyllaceae or pink/carnation family.  Petrorhagia was previously listed as Tunica and there is still a fair bit of information out there that references as such.  It is a relatively small genus with only about 23 accepted genera.  An interesting botanical term to run across for the family description is that the stamens of the flowers are isomerous to the perianth.  Which means...they are the same number as  the parts of the corolla and caylx.  Often there are 5 petals and 5 sepals for the flower making for...you guessed it, 5 stamens (sometimes 10).

I spoil you ya know?

A nice close up.

 Description:  I've spent quite a bit on the rest of the post and this is the last one.  Running out of gas in the tank!  That being said, this a small little compact plant that is likely a great addition when space is limited and you want little pop in the summer months.  These are supposed to kick out flowers for quite awhile cut back old flowers and it supposedly reblooms.  The foliage only grows to about 4 inches in height while the flowers rise up to about 12 inches.  The flowers can vary quite a bit in color from pinks, whites, and purples with some great streaks of color thrown in.  A native of Pyrenees, Turkey, and southern and central Europe and has been in cultivation since 1774.  Despite it's rather uncommon presence I feel like it could make a bit of a come back.

Culture:  One site lists as zone hardy 4-10 one site listed as 4-8 and another from 2-9 so take your pick I guess. A fan of full sun and dry soils.  Some sites report that good drainage is a requirement while others indicate that it is actually quite tolerant of clay soils.  If I had to venture a guess I would say that lower spots with heavier clay will prove to be a problem for these.  I'm often surprised by some of the plants that grow in my very heavy clay soil at home.  The trick is just to not water much (if at all) during the summer and often times those plants will pull through the spring just fine.

Introduction:  No, not like meeting someone, but a species that has been moved from its home.  USDA website lists this occurring in small random pockets of scattered counties in several states.  I found an article from the Illinois Plant Information Network that noted they were identified in Champaign county but that they were fairly rare?  They do set seed well but I have a feeling they aren't strong competitors.  Certainly worth watching with keen interest however.

http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/2128.co

An't you glad I picked such a pretty flower today?

And yes, I'm experimenting with formatting ...still not sure what I like.  Work in progress.  Deal.