In message , Lol
writes
Hi all

Is there a general flower identification guide that anyone could recommend -
preferably online ? I have tried google but seem to get lots of wild flowers
and others which seem limited in scope ?

I am trying to identify a pinkish/purple flower, supeficially the shape of a
poppy, five petals to the fore, 4 just behind, giving 9 in total. The petals
are just over 2 inches in diameter, have a green central button surrounded
by numerous yellow err (anthers ?). They grown to between 4 and 5 foot high,
on a thin, cylindical, rigid, wire-like stem. The leaves vary a lot in size,
but the biggest are 6 or 7 inches across and shaped like a Maple leaf. They
are in flower at the moment - and have been for a few weeks or more.

many thanks

lol

It doesn't sound much like a poppy to me, but similarity is in the eye
of the beholder.

9 petals is not a common number - 5 petals and 4 sepals (perhaps
petaloid) would be more common (the standard eudicot pattern is 5 petals
and 5 sepals). I wondering if your plant is a composite (daisy) of some
description, with the 9 "petals" being ligulate (ray) flowers and the
"button" being the disc of tubular (disc) flowers. However no particular
composite comes to mind matching that description.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley