Oxalis triangularis, commonly called false shamrock, is a species of edible perennial plant in the Oxalidaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. This woodsorrel is typically grown as a houseplant but can be grown outside in USDA climate zones 8a–11, preferably in light shade.
The subspecies O. triangularis subsp. papilionacea, in particular its cultivar 'Triangularis', is highly popular as a pot plant and known as love plant and purple shamrock.
Indoor Care:
They require bright or direct sunlight supplemented with a cool indoor temperature of ~15 degrees Celsius (~60 degrees Fahrenheit). They can tolerate higher indoor temperatures but will go into dormancy prematurely and/or begin to take on a "tired" appearance if temperatures go above 27 degrees Celsius (~80 degrees Fahrenheit) for prolonged periods of time. Use average potting soil with good drainage and allow the surface soil to dry out between waterings.
Mature False Shamrock plants are cut back to the soil every 3–5 years in early summer or during the dormancy period. Young plants are cut back to the soil every year in early summer or during the dormancy period, until they reach maturity.
Oxalis triangularis are plants that grow from bulbs, and their propagation is done by division of the bulbs. Like other bulbs, the oxalis go through dormancy periods on a regular basis; at the end of such period, the bulbs can be unearthed, sidebulbs cut and replanted in appropriate soil, where they will grow into new plants.
The leaves of O. triangularis move in response to light levels, opening in high ambient light (in the day) and closing at low light levels (at night). This movement is not due to growth and is instead powered by changes in turgor pressure in cells at the base of the leaf. It is an example of photonasty.
Oxalis tuberosa (Oxalidaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, hispanicized oca, as New Zealand yam and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region. Oca was introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato, and to New Zealand as early as 1860.
In New Zealand, oca has become a popular table vegetable and is simply called yam or New Zealand yam (although not a true yam). It is now available in a range of colours, including yellow, orange, pink, apricot, and the traditional red.
Oca is one of the highest vegetable sources of carbohydrate and energy. They are a good source of pro-vitamin A (beta carotene), and also contain potassium, vitamin B6 and small amounts of fibre. Yellow-orange coloured varieties indicate the presence of carotenoids; whilst red skins and red specks in flesh indicate the presence of anthocyanins.
Oca is cultivated primarily for its edible stem tuber, but the leaves and young shoots can be eaten as a green vegetable also. Mature stems can be used similarly to rhubarb. Andean communities have various methods to process and prepare tubers, and in Mexico oca is eaten raw with salt, lemon, and hot pepper. The flavour is often slightly tangy, but there is a considerable degree of difference in flavors between varieties and some are not acidic at all. Texture ranges from crunchy (like a carrot) when raw or undercooked, to starchy or mealy when fully cooked.
The table to the right displays the nutritional content for fresh and dried oca. Oca is a valuable source of vitamin C,potassium (included in value for ash), and iron. It also provides some protein, with valine and tryptophan its limiting amino acids. Cultivars vary greatly in nutritional content, so these measures should be taken only as approximates. It is also high ranks from the nutritional point of view.
Cultivation
Oca is one of the important staple crops of the Andean highlands, due to its easy propagation, and tolerance for poor soil, high altitude and harsh climates.
Distribution
Oca is planted in the Andean region from Venezuela to Argentina, from 2800 to 4100 meters above sea level. Its highest abundance and greatest diversity are in central Peru and northern Bolivia, the probable area of its domestication.
Climate requirements
Oca needs a long growing season, and is day length dependent, forming tubers when the day length shortens in autumn (around March in the Andes). In addition, oca requires climates with average temperatures of approximately 10 to 12 °C (ranging between 4 and 17 °C) and average precipitation of 700 to 885 millimeters per year.
Oca requires short days in order to form tubers. Outside the tropics, it will not begin to form tubers until approximately the autumn equinox. If frosts occur too soon after the autumn equinox, the plant will die before tubers are produced.
Soil requirements
Oca grows with very low production inputs, generally on plots of marginal soil quality, and tolerates acidities between about pH 5.3 and 7.8. In traditional Andean cropping systems, it is often planted after potato and therefore benefits from persisting nutrients applied to, or left over from, the potato crop.
Propagation
Oca is usually propagated vegetatively by planting whole tubers.
Propagation by seed is possible but is rarely used in practice. Sexual propagation is complicated by several factors. First, like many other species in the genus Oxalis, oca flowers exhibit tristylous heterostyly and are consequently subject to auto-incompatibility. Furthermore, on the rare occasion that oca plants do produce fruit, their loculicidal capsules dehisce spontaneously, making it difficult to harvest seed. Oca flowers are pollinated by insects (e.g., genera Apis, Megachile, and Bombus). Data regarding the frequency of volunteer hybrids and farmers’ subsequent incorporation of them has not yet been published.
Cropping factors
Oca tuber-seeds are planted in the Andes in August or September and harvested from April to June. The first flowers bloom around three to four months after planting, and the tubers also begin to form then. Between planting and harvesting, the oca crop requires little tending, except for a couple of weedings and hillings.
Oca is a component of traditional crop rotations and is usually planted in a field directly after the potato harvest. A common sequence in this rotation system may be one year of potato, one year of oca, one year of oats or faba beans, and two to four years fallow. Within this system, q’allpa is a Quechua term that signifies soil previously cultivated and prepared for planting of a new crop.
The cultural practice is similar to potatoes. Planting is done in rows or hills 80–100 cm apart, with plants spaced 40–60 cm apart in the rows. Monoculture predominates, but interplanting with several other tuber species, including mashua and olluco, in one field is common in Andean production. Often this intercoppng consists of several different varieties of each species. Such mixed fields may later be sorted into tuber types during harvest or before cooking.
Harmine found in root secretions of Oxalis tuberosa has been found to have insecticidal properties.
Yields
Yields vary with the cultural method. Annals from Andean countries report about 7-10 tonnes per hectare for Oxalis tuberosa production. But with adequate inputs and virus free propagation material, oca production can range from 35 to 55 tonnes per hectare.
Limitations
Pests and diseases limit the production of oca. Crops in the Andes are often infected with viruses, causing chronic yield depression. Adequate techniques to remove viruses have to be applied before the varieties can be used outside the Andean region. Cultivation is also constrained by the Andean potato weevil (Premnotrypes spp), ulluco weevil (Cylydrorhinus spp), and oca weevil, the identification of which remains uncertain (possibly Adioristidius, Mycrotrypes, or Premnotrypes). These weevils often destroy entire crops. Further notable pests are nematodes.
As already mentioned, both day-length restrictions and the presence of oxalates can also be considered limiting factors. Scientists work with specific breeding, selection, and virus cleaning programs on these purposes.
Agricultural potential
Potential distribution to other suitable ecogeographical zones of, for example, Asia and Africa may be possible. The cultivation and use of a fleshy pink variety of Oxalis tuberosa in New Zealand already indicates a wider utilization and agricultural interest than has been previously recognized.
The aibika (Abelmoschus manihot) is a flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae. It was formerly considered a species of Hibiscus, but is now classified in the genus Abelmoschus. The plant is also known as the sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus, or hibiscus manihot.
In Japanese, this plant is known as tororo aoi and is used to make neri, a starchy substance used in making washi. In Korean, this plant is known as hwang chok kyu and is used to make dak pul, which assists in making hanji (Korean paper). In the Pacific Islands, the common name for this plant is bele and vauvau and along with taro-leaf spinach, and a wide variety of wild ferns, it is a main green of many villages there.
Although technically a shrub, aibika is a perennial which, under good conditions, can grow to over three meters in height. It is reputedly an extremely nutritious vegetable. Its leaves are very high in vitamins A and C, and iron, and have 12% protein by dry weight. Moreover, it is easily propagated from cuttings, easy to cultivate, relatively disease-resistant and even is considered to be of medicinal value. It is widely planted either along borders of gardens or as an intercrop throughout many traditional gardens in the tropics.
Abelmoschus ficulneus is a species of flowering plant in the genus Abelmoschus, family Malvaceae. Commonly known as white wild musk mallow or native rosella, it is fibrous perennial with a woody stem. Its flowers are about an inch in diameter, either pink or white, with a rose center; its leaves are palmate.
The species grows as a small erect shrub, 2 to 5 ft (1 to 2 m) tall and 2 to 6 ft (1 to 2 m) across. Leaves are 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) long and 4 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in) wide, with a circular shape (heart-shaped near base). Leaves are rough on both sides, toothed, and have 3 to 5 lobes. Flower stock are covered in velvety hair, and the flowers themselves are 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in) across. The stocks are short and colored white to pink with a dark purple center. Flowers last a few days. The plant has small hairs which may cause irritation. The plant's seed heads are hairy and sticky, ovalar in shape and 2.5–4 cm (1–2 in) long and 1.3–2 cm (1–1 in) wide, with five ribs and a short beak. Seeds that are still in their growth period are medium to dark green, and when they are mature they turn dark brown, and split into five parts to release 10 to 20 brown to black spherical seeds, covered in tiny hairs.
Abelmoschus ficulneus germinates in the spring and summer months, after the effects of rainfall and irrigation have set in. The plant grows rapidly over spring and summer several months after emergence, through autumn. Mature seeds are produced within a month of flowering in the late summer and autumn seasons.
The species is native to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Madagascar and also northern Australia where it has become a common crop weed, particularly in cotton.
Bryonia alba (white bryony, wild hop) is a vigorous vine in the family Cucurbitaceae (squashes and melons) from Europe and Northern Iran. It has a growth habit similar to kudzu, which gives it a highly destructive potential outside its native range as a noxious weed.
An herbaceous, perennial vine of the cucumber family, white bryony is monoecious but diclinous (separate male and female flowers found on the same plant) with a tuberous yellow root. Greenish-white flowers are 1 cm (0.39 in) across. Long curling tendrils, flowers, and fruit all stem from axils of palmately lobed leaves.The fruit is a 1.5 cm (0.59 in) berry which blackens as it ripens.
All parts of Bryonia alba contain bryonin which is poisonous and may cause illness or death. Livestock may also be poisoned by consuming the fruit and leaves. Forty berries constitutes a lethal dose for adult humans.
Outside of its native range, this vine is often a very aggressive invasive weed. It can produce three vines at a time, which each grow up to 15 cm (5.9 in) per day. It has a climbing growth pattern similar to kudzu, and will grow into a dense mat when it cannot climb. Once established, it will climb other plants and trees as well as fences and buildings, blocking the sun and even rain from its host. Winter snow or heavy rains weighing down the mat of foliage create extra weight, leading to breakage of host limbs or even felling of entire host trees.
Control of white bryony usually involves manual pulling and very frequent removal of new growth; diligence being the key to success. Plants may be killed manually by severing the roots 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) below ground surface to remove the crown and prevent re-sprouting. Tillage is often ineffective and can harm host plant roots, but broadleaf herbicides such as glyphosate can be useful when care is taken not to spray host plant leaves. Multiple applications are necessary to eventually move herbicide to the root and block production of new shoots. The dispersed seeds are viable for many years, so manually removing B. alba before seed production is important.
Cassytha pubescens is a native Australian hemiparasitic vine species, in the Laurel family. Common names for the species include devils twine, dodder-laurel, spilled devil’s twine or downy dodder-laurel. It is a widespread and common species in south eastern Australia .The species was first formally described in 1810 by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in Prodromus Flora Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land). Leaves are reduced to scales and photosynthesis is achieved through chlorophyll contained in the plants stems. Stems are between 0.5mm and 1.5mm in diameter and the haustoria are between 2 and 3 mm long.
Cassytha pubescens grows as a photosynthetic stem that twins around itself and around the branches of its host. Stems are between 0.5 and 1.5 mm thick and can be highly variable in appearance. In darker more humid conditions the stems have been noted to be dark green in colour, glabrescent and with very few pale grey hairs however stems can be glabrescent to pubescent, smooth to wrinkly and can vary in colour on a single plant.
High variation exists in flowers, fruits, stems and trichomes within individuals, across individuals in a population and across populations of Cassytha pubescens. It has been speculated that the variation is likely a result of a combination of reproductive isolation across populations and in some cases phenotypic modification to different environments. Flowers may occur on spikes, racemes or panicles and are either sessile or almost sessile.
Peduncles can be 3-20mm long with or without hairs. Peduncles up to 10 cm have been noted in specimens from NE NSW and QLD. Flowers have pubescent petals and 9 stamens, with the outer stamens dorsiventrally flattened. When fleshy, fruit can be green, greeny-red, grey to greeny-red in colour and may be anywhere between smooth to pubescent. Fruit is globose to obovoid in shape and ranges in size from 6-10mm × 5.5-9mm . Fruit may be covered in dull green to dull-reddy brown bands . Fruit is grey to black when dry/ drying.
Flowering occurs in summer through the months of December to April with fruit developing from March to April.
Distribution and Habitat
Cassytha pubescence is widespread along the east coast of Australia not extending into arid regions. The species extends from the south-east of Queensland into the eastern half of NSW and into south-eastern South Australia. The species is also found across eastern and western regions of Victoria and Tasmania. Cassytha pubescence is most commonly found in dry forests in woodlands.
Metrosideros polymorpha, the ʻōhiʻa lehua, is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaiʻi. It is a highly variable tree, being 20–25 m (66–82 ft) tall in favorable situations, and a much smaller prostrate shrub when growing in boggy soils or directly on basalt. It produces a brilliant display of flowers, made up of a mass of stamens, which can range from fiery red to yellow. Many native Hawaiian traditions refer to the tree and the forests it forms as sacred to Pele, the volcano goddess, and to Laka, the goddess of hula. ʻŌhiʻa trees grow easily on lava, and are usually the very first plants to grow on new lava flows.
Metrosideros polymorpha is the most common native tree in the Hawaiian Islands, tolerating a wide range of soil conditions, temperature, and rainfall. It grows from sea level right up to the tree line at elevations of 2,500 m (8,200 ft) and is commonly found in moist and dry forests, high shrublands, and is a colonizer of recent lava flows. It is relatively slow growing. Dominant in cloud forests above 400 m (1,300 ft), the tree is also common in seasonally wet forests, where it may be dominant or form mixtures with the native Acacia koa.
Metrosideros polymorpha may occur as a tall tree or a prostrate shrub, and everything in between. Preferred soils are acidic to neutral (pH 3.6-7.4) and either a Histosol, Mollisol, Podsol, Oxisol, Ultisol, or Alfisol. Rainfall of 1,000–3,000 mm (39–118 in) per year is favored, but ʻōhiʻa can grow in dry forests that receive as little as 400 mm (16 in) or bogs that get more than 10,000 mm (390 in) of rain.[1] On moist, deep soils, ʻōhiʻa grows to 20–25 m (66–82 ft) high. Specimens reaching 30 m (98 ft) high are on record.
The trunk varies in form. In some trees, it is straight and smooth; in others, it is twisted and prominently fluted. Trees growing in forests often have stilt roots, having germinated on logs or the stems of fallen hāpuʻu (Cibotium tree ferns), which have long decayed away when the tree has reached maturity. Some trees have fibrous aerial roots to gather moisture. At high elevations, and in areas with poor soils or little rainfall, shrub forms are the norm. Flowers are usually bright to medium red but orange-red, salmon, pink, yellow, or orange forms are also found. The flowers appear in clusters on the terminal ends of the branches. Masses of stamens extend from the flower and give the blossoms their characteristic pom-pom shape.
Alcantarea imperialis is the most regal and is considered the signature species of this genus. It is one of the giants of the bromeliad family. This Bromeliad grows to a span of more than 1.5 metres, although it can take up to ten years to get to this size. The thick flower spike reaches up to 3.5 metres in height, producing hundreds of slightly fragrant creamy white flowers. The green, slightly ribbed leaves are quite leathery and tough with a distinctive waxy bloom over the surface, giving a bluish colouration from a distance.
This species can withstand relatively cool nights, as it is native to mountains of Teresópolis near Rio de Janeiro at an elevation of about 1,500 metres. There it creates the most spectacular landscape, with near vertical cliffs and rocky outcrops of granite studded with these majestic plants. Each plant establishes its’ own micro habitat, with the gradual build up of humus, mosses and lichens around the root system providing a store of water and nutrients in addition to the reserves held in the copious leaf bases and vases. On these mountains, they are often found in the same areas as 3 other Alcantarea species, A. nahoumii, A. glaziouana and A. regina. However, each of these species occupies a different part of the ecosystem, with a single mountain occupied on each side, or at different elevations, with a separate species. DNA work is being carried out on these species at present, to more accurately determine how closely related they are to each other.
Alcantarea imperialis in the wild are becoming increasingly endangered. Initially this was from the destruction of natural areas by encroaching civilisation, resulting in large losses of habitat to fire and clearance. Then huge numbers of plants were destroyed from the misconception that having these plants near civilisation was encouraging diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Finally as landscapers and gardeners realise that these are dramatic and desirable plants for the garden, tens of thousands of plants are stripped from the wild and sent to the cities, or exported. Worldwide, there has been an explosion of interest in these plants, first popularised by the famous Brazilian landscape architect, Robert Burle-Marx.
This wholesale destruction and stripping of Alcantarea from the wild has an immense impact on the whole ecosystem, as these plants are home to innumerable quantities of small animals, insects, reptiles and amphibians. In addition, the copious quantities of nectar and pollen, produced over the 5-month flowering period, form important food sources for bees, birds, moths and various insects. In my own garden, far removed from their native environments, I have seen queues of up to 4 European honeybees at a time jostling for position in an individual Brazilian Alcantarea flower.
Fortunately, some nurseries in Brazil are showing the foresight to produce large quantities of Alcantarea imperialis from seed and pups with the result that many hundreds of thousands of these plants are now being produced and exported around the world. These nurseries are a spectacular sight in their own right, with row upon row of these giant plants covering the valleys. Production from seed is becoming very common, as each flower stem can produce between 400-600 flowers, which if all successfully pollinated would produce 80,000 to 200,000 seeds!
Pinguicula gigantea is a tropical species of carnivorous plant in the family Lentibulariaceae. Its native range is within Mexico. P. gigantea's flower is usually a purple colour with the occasional light blue also seen. P. gigantea was once classified as Pinguicula ayautla.
This Pinguicula was discovered by Alfred Lau and described by the botanist Hans Luhrs.
P. gigantea has a few different forms, such as the 'white flower' form or the 'blue flower'.
Because of the way the flowers are constructed, it is tricky to pollinate them by hand. The easiest way to pollinate the flowers is with a tooth pick. You could play hummingbird tongue by poking the toothpick in and out of the flower trying to pick up the pollen from the anthers on the way out and deposit it on the stigma on the way in.
However a more reliable way is to rip the flowers to get at the anthers and stigmas directly. To rip the flowers hold the top petals with one hand and the lower petals with the other and carefully tear off the lower petals.
Do not touch the stem as you are likely to damage it. You can use a toothpick to transfer pollen the from the anthers to the stigma or use a forceps to remove the stamens and paint the stigma with the anthers. It may take some practice.
Habitat
P. gigantea grows in the Mexican state of Oaxaca at an altitude of 688 meters or 2260 feet.
Leaves
P. gigantea, unlike most Pinguicula species, has sticky upper and undersides of the leaves. The leaves have trichomes on them, which secrete a mucilage that traps prey. P. gigantea's leaves are among the largest in its genus. The species epithet, gigantea, describes this characteristic.
Flowers
The flowers of P. gigantea are usually zygomorphic. The varieties of P. gigantea differ solely on their flowers, such as the 'blue flower' P. gigantea or the 'white flower' forms. Other forms have also been described.
Dormancy and winter
P. gigantea is a tropical Mexican species of Pinguicula. Its dormancy is not regulated by temperature or light. Like most tropical species, its dormancy is triggered by lack of moisture. Very little precipitation falls during the winter in Mexico where this Pinguicula species lives. In order to survive in these conditions it forms non-carnivorous leaves and can handle dry conditions. When the plant emerges from its dormant period in the Spring, it produces new carnivorous leaves and eventually flowers.
Ceropegia woodii is a flowering plant in the genus Ceropegia (Apocynaceae), native to South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the related Ceropegia linearis, as C. linearis subsp. woodii. Common names include chain of hearts, collar of hearts, string of hearts, rosary vine, hearts-on-a-string and sweetheart vine.
The species was discovered in 1881 by John Medley Wood, curator of the Durban Botanic Gardens, hanging from rocks on Groenberg in Natal at an altitude of 1800 feet. Thirteen years later, in 1894, he sent a living plant to Kew. Its trailing habit, neat appearance and tolerance of neglect, made it an ideal plant for hanging baskets. The plant that had been sent to Kew subsequently flowered, providing the material for Plate 7704 of Curtis's Botanical Magazine published in 1900. The prolific botanical artist Matilda Smith prepared the plate, while the Kew taxonomist N. E. Brown produced a detailed description, naming the plant after its discoverer.
It is an evergreen succulent trailing vine that grows to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in height and spreads to reach up to 2–4 metres (6 ft 7 in–13 ft 1 in) in length. Its leaves are shaped like hearts, about 1-2 cm wide and long. When exposed to sufficient light they have a deep green colour; under insufficient lighting the leaves are pale green. With age it develops a woody caudex at its base. The roots, and occasionally the stems, will often develop tubers. On the stems these form at nodes and are likely the reason for the common name of rosary vine.
The flower is in general form similar to those of other Ceropegia species. The corolla grows to 3 cm in length and is a mixed colouring of off-white and pale magenta. The five petals are a deeper purple.
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Water storing tubers
Etlingera elatior (also known as torch ginger, ginger flower, red ginger lily, torch lily, wild ginger, combrang, bunga kantan, Philippine wax flower, xiang bao jiaing, Indonesian tall ginger, boca de dragón, rose de porcelaine, and porcelain rose) is a species of herbaceous perennial plant. Botanical synonyms include Nicolaia elatior, Phaeomeria magnifica, Nicolaia speciosa, Phaeomeria speciosa, Alpinia elatior, and Alpinia magnifica.
The showy pink flowers are used in decorative arrangements, while the flower buds are an important ingredient in the Nonya dish laksa. In North Sumatra, the flower buds are used for a dish called arsik ikan mas (Andaliman/Szechuan pepper-spiced carp).
It is known in Indonesian as bunga kecombrang or honje, Malay as bunga kantan and Thai as ดาหลา , daalaa. In Thailand, it is eaten in a kind of Thai salad preparation.
In Karo, it is known as asam cekala (asam meaning 'sour'), and the flower buds, but more importantly the ripe seed pods, which are packed with small black seeds, are an essential ingredient of the Karo version of sayur asam, and are particularly suited to cooking fresh fish.
From the leaves of E. elatior, three caffeoylquinic acids, including chlorogenic acid (CGA), and three flavonoids, quercitrin, isoquercitrin and catechin, have been isolated.Content of CGA was significantly higher than flowers of Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), the commercial source. A protocol for producing a standardized herbal extract of CGA from leaves of E. elatior (40%) has been developed, compared to commercial CGA extracts from honeysuckle flowers (25%).
Gaillardia aristata is a North American species of flowering plants in the sunflower family known by the common names common blanketflower and common gaillardia. This perennial wildflower is widespread across much of North America, from Yukon east to Québec and south as far as California, Arizona, Illinois, and Connecticut, although it may be naturalized rather than native in parts of that range. It is also naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, Australia, and South America.
Gaillardia aristata grows in many habitats. It is a perennial herb reaching maximum heights of anywhere between 20–70 centimetres (7.9–27.6 in). It has lance-shaped leaves near the base and several erect, naked stems holding the flowers.
Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Prefers moist, organically rich soils that drain well but tolerates dry soils and drought. Performs poorly in unamended, heavy clay soils typically found in the St. Louis area.
Deadheading spent flowers is not necessary, but will tidy the planting and may encourage additional bloom. If flowering declines or stops in summer, consider cutting back plants to encourage a fall bloom. ‘Bijou’ is a seed strain that will self-seed in optimum growing conditions if flowers are not deadheaded.
Each flower head has a center of brownish or reddish purple disc florets and a fringe of ray florets which are about one to three centimeters (0.4-1.2 inches) long and yellow to reddish with dark bases.
The fruit is a stout, hairy achene which may be over a centimeter (>0.4 inches) long including the long, spiky pappus.
Gaillardia aristata is a species of blanket flower that is native from North Dakota to Colorado west to California and British Columbia. It typically grows in clumps to 30” tall and is found primarily in dry sites on meadows, prairies, grasslands, mountain foothills and at lower mountain elevations to 9000’. ‘Bijou’ is a dwarf seed strain that typically grows to only 10-12” tall. It features orange-red daisy-like flowers (to 3” diameter) with yellow tipped rays.
Blooms late spring to fall. Lance-shaped gray-green leaves may be pinnately lobed near the base of the plant. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. In areas where goldfinches are present, gardeners should consider leaving some spent flowerheads for the birds.
Gaillardia is sometimes commonly called blanket flower in probable reference to the resemblance of its rich and warm flower colors and patterns to blankets woven by Native Americans.
However, some authorities suggest that the name blanket flower was originally derived from the habit of wild species plants to form colonies that blanket the ground. Specific epithet means bristly in reference to the hairs that cover the flowerhead receptacles, stems and leaves. The popular but short lived gaillardia hybrid sold in commerce as G. x grandiflora are crosses between perennial G. aristata and annual G. pulchella.
Polygonum aviculare or common knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called prostrate knotweed, birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October. It is widespread across many countries in temperate regions, apparently native to Eurasia and North America, naturalized in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Common knotgrass is an annual herb with a semi-erect stem that may grow to 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16 in) high. The leaves are hairless and short-stalked. They are longish-elliptical with short stalks and rounded bases; the upper ones are few and are linear and stalkless.
The stipules are fused into a stem-enclosing, translucent sheath known as an ochrea that is membranous and silvery. The flowers are regular, green with white or pink margins. Each has five perianth segments, overlapping at the base, five to eight stamens and three fused carpels. The fruit is a dark brown, three-edged nut. The seeds need light to germinate which is why this plant appears in disturbed soil in locations where its seeds may have lain dormant for years.
Widespread and common in Great Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia.
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.
Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed. Common names include lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot and fat-hen, though the latter two are also applied to other species of the genus Chenopodium, for which reason it is often distinguished as white goosefoot. It is sometimes also called pigweed, however, pigweed is also a name for a few weeds in the family Amaranthaceae, it is for example used for the redroot pigweed (Amaranthus albus).
Chenopodium album is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India as a food crop.
Its native range is obscure due to extensive cultivation, but includes most of Europe, from where Linnaeus described the species in 1753. Plants native in eastern Asia are included under C. album, but often differ from European specimens.It is widely introduced elsewhere, e.g. Africa, Australasia, North America, and Oceania,and now occurs almost everywhere in soils rich in nitrogen, especially on wasteland.
It tends to grow upright at first, reaching heights of 10–150 cm (rarely to 3 m), but typically becomes recumbent after flowering (due to the weight of the foliage and seeds) unless supported by other plants. The leaves are alternate and can be varied in appearance.
The first leaves, near the base of the plant, are toothed and roughly diamond-shaped, 3–7 cm long and 3–6 cm broad. The leaves on the upper part of the flowering stems are entire and lanceolate-rhomboid, 1–5 cm long and 0.4–2 cm broad; they are waxy-coated, unwettable and mealy in appearance, with a whitish coat on the underside. The small flowers are radially symmetrical and grow in small cymes on a dense branched inflorescence 10–40 cm long.
Campanula portenschlagiana syn. C. muralis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae, native to the Dalmatian Mountains in Croatia. It is a vigorous, low-growing, mound-forming evergreen perennial with deep purple flowers in summer. Common names include Dalmatian bellflower, Adria bellflower and wall bellflower.
Description
The plant forms a mat of foliage about 10 cm (4 in) high and 50 cm (20 in) or more wide, with many heart- or kidney-shaped leaves. Deep purple or blue, funnel-shaped, 5-petalled flowers, 2 cm long, are borne in profusion, completely covering the plant from mid- to late summer.
Flowers may be pollinated by beetles, flies, bees and butterflies, but are also capable of self-pollinating.
C. portenschlagiana is a low-growing perennial quickly forming an evergreen mat of small, rounded leaves.
As an alpine plant, it requires sharp drainage, so is suitable for an alpine garden, rock garden, or as groundcover, in sun or partial shade. Given suitable conditions, it will rapidly colonize cracks and crevices in walls and pavements. It is hardy at least to USDA hardiness zone 4 (−30 °F or −34 °C).
Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of the ginseng family native to California and southwestern Oregon. It is also called California aralia and California spikenard.
It is a deciduous, herbaceous, perennial plant growing to a height of 2–3 m on stems which are thick but not woody. The stems bear large green pinnately compound or tri-pinnately compound leaves 1–2 m long and 1 m broad, the leaflets 15–30 cm long and 7–15 cm broad. The leaflets are arranged opposite with an odd terminal leaflet. The greenish white flowers are produced in large compound racemes of umbels 30–45 cm in diameter at the stem apex; each flower is 2–3 mm in diameter, and matures to small (3–5 mm) dark purple or black fruit, each berry containing 3–5 seeds.
It is distributed throughout western and central California and into Oregon. It is more common in cooler, moister areas in northern California, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.
This plant is sometimes substituted for other species of its genus which are used as herbal remedies, such as American spikenard and Japanese spikenard. A preparation of the root has traditionally been used as an anti-inflammatory, douche, and cough suppressant.
Stachys byzantina (syn. S. lanata; lamb's-earor woolly hedgenettle) is a species of Stachys, native to Turkey, Armenia, and Iran. It is cultivated over much of the temperate world as an ornamental plant, and is naturalised in some locations as an escapee from gardens. Plants are very often found under the synonym Stachys lanata or Stachys olympica.
Lamb's-ear flowers in late spring and early summer; plants produce tall spike-like stems with a few reduced leaves. The flowers are small and either white[citation needed] or purple. The plants tend to be evergreen but can "die" back during cold winters and regenerate new growth from the crowns.
Lamb's-ear plants are perennial herbs usually densely covered with gray or silver-white, silky-lanate hairs. They are named lamb's ears because of the leaves curved shape and white, soft, fur-like hair coating. Flowering stems are erect, often branched, and tend to be 4-angled, growing 40–80 cm tall. The leaves are thick and somewhat wrinkled, densely covered on both sides with gray-silver colored, silky-lanate hairs; the under sides are more silver-white in color than the top surfaces. The leaves are arranged oppositely on the stems and 5 to 10 cm long. The leaf petioles are semiamplexicaul (the bases wrapping half way around the stem) with the basal leaves having blades oblong-elliptic in shape, measuring 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide (though variation exists in cultivated forms). The leaf margins are crenulate but covered with dense hairs, the leaf apexes attenuate, gradually narrowing to a rounded point.
The flowering spikes are 10–22 cm long, producing verticillasters that each have many flowers and are crowded together over most of the length on the spike-like stem. The leaves produced on the flowering stems are greatly reduced in size and subsessile, the lower ones slightly longer than the interscholastic and the upper ones shorter than the verticillasters. The leaf bracteoles are linear to linear-lanceolate in shape and 6 mm long.
The flowers have no pedicels (sessile) and the calyx is tubular-campanulate in shape, being slightly curved and 1.2 cm long. The calyx is glabrous except for the inside surface of the teeth, having 10 veins with the accessory veins inconspicuous. The 2–3 mm long calyx teeth are ovate-triangular in shape and are subequal or the posterior teeth larger, with rigid apices. The corollas have some darker purple tinted veins inside; they are 1.2 cm long with silky-lanate hairs but bases that are glabrous.
The corolla tubes are about 6 mm long with the upper lip ovate in shape with entire margins; the lower lips are subpatent with the middle lobe broadly ovate in shape, lateral lobes oblong. The stamen filaments are densely villous from the base to the middle. The styles are exserted much past the corolla. There are immature nutlets without hairs, brown in color and oblong in shape.
Vinca minor (common names lesser periwinkle or dwarf periwinkle) is a species of flowering plant native to central and southern Europe, from Portugal and France north to the Netherlands and the Baltic States, east to the Caucasus, and also southwestern Asia in Turkey. Other vernacular names used in cultivation include small periwinkle, common periwinkle, and sometimes in the United States, myrtle or creeping myrtle.
Vinca minor is a trailing, viny subshrub, spreading along the ground and rooting along the stems to form large clonal colonies and occasionally scrambling up to 40 centimetres (16 in) high but never twining or climbing. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 2–4.5 centimetres (0.79–1.77 in) long and 1–2.5 centimetres (0.39–0.98 in) broad, glossy dark green with a leathery texture and an entire margin.
The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils and are produced mainly from early spring to mid summer but with a few flowers still produced into the autumn; they are violet-purple (pale purple or white in some cultivated selections), 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.18 in) diameter, with a five-lobed corolla. The fruit is a pair of follicles 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) long, containing numerous seeds.
The closely related species Vinca major is similar, but larger in all parts, and also has relatively broader leaves with a hairy margin.
The species is commonly grown as a groundcover in temperate gardens for its evergreen foliage, spring and summer flowers, ease of culture, and dense habit that smothers most weeds. The species has few pests or diseases outside its native range and is widely naturalized and classified as an invasive species in parts of North America. Invasion can be restricted by removal of rooting stems in spring.
Once established, it is difficult to eradicate, as its waxy leaves shed most water-based herbicide sprays. Removal involves cutting, followed by immediate application of concentrated glyphosate or triclopyr to the cut stems. Repeated chemical treatments may be necessary, along with digging up the roots where feasible.
Vitex rotundifolia, the roundleaf chastetree or beach vitex is a species of Vitex that is native to seashores throughout the Pacific. Its range includes continents and islands stretching from India east to Hawaii and from Korea south to Australia. This woody perennial plant typically grows approximately 1 m in height. It has a sprawling growth habit and produces runners that root regularly at nodes. This rooting pattern allows the plant to spread rapidly.
A mature Vitex rotundifolia produces fragrant, blue-purple flowers that are borne in clusters and ultimately yield small purblish-black fruits. Its leaves are rounded at the tips with green upper surfaces and silver lower surfaces. While the plant is a seashore obligate, it grows over a wide latitude range. It has been used for medicinal purposes throughout its native range. More recently, it was imported to the eastern United States where it has become a seashore invasive. Control efforts are presently underway to protect the fragile beach dune ecosystem.
Vegetative Growth
Beach vitex can reach 1 to 2 foot high and typically 12 feet in diameter, but runners can grow to infinite lengths with reports of up to 60 feet long. Stems root along their length forming a mat on the sand. Leaf arrangement is opposite. Leaves are simple, rounded, and gray-green in color with dense, grayish-white hairs on the lower surface. Leaves are 2” long by 1.5” wide.
Problems Caused
Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia L.f.) is a deciduous woody vine that was introduced to the Southeastern U.S. from Korea in the mid-1980’s. Prior to its intoduction to the South Atlantic coast of the U.S., beach vitex had no history of invasiveness. However, by the mid-1990’s, dune restoration specialists with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began to notice beach vitex spreading from original plantings on South Carolina beaches, crowding out native dune plants, and spreading by seeds and vegetative fragments.
Over the past two years, the South Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force has documented beach vitex at 115+ populations along the South Carolina coast. It also occurs along the North Carolina coast, and was recently observed on a beach in Alabama. Efforts are now underway to map and monitor its spread.
Oxalis triangularis, commonly called false shamrock, is a species of edible perennial plant in the Oxalidaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. This woodsorrel is typically grown as a houseplant but can be grown outside in USDA climate zones 8a–11, preferably in light shade.
Mature False Shamrock plants are cut back to the soil every 3–5 years in early summer or during the dormancy period. Young plants are cut back to the soil every year in early summer or during the dormancy period, until they reach maturity.
The leaves of O. triangularis move in response to light levels, opening in high ambient light (in the day) and closing at low light levels (at night). This movement is not due to growth and is instead powered by changes in turgor pressure in cells at the base of the leaf. It is an example of photonasty.
