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ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
Hi Richard
I am sure that you are right as you have the plant there in front of you. Even though scientific names are meant to be standard, they are often changed, much to the confusion of this aging, amateur botanist. What a great website you quote. I have done several trips to Australia, having family in Sydney and friends in Melbourne and Perth. One of my principle pleasures there is your amazing flora. I would have been immensely helped by a resource such as this. I will bookmark it for future visits. Best wishes Peter "Richard Wright" wrote in message ... On Tue, 4 Nov 2008 11:34:28 -0000, "Peter" wrote: Hi Richard It is difficult from photos accurately to determine many plants. My book, admittedly written from a European perspective, gives the following characteristics to look for in a Freesia: -Slightly irregular, 6 petal (strictly 3 petals and 3 very similar sepals) flower with 3 stamens (your photo appears to have 6 stamens); style usually 3-branched. -Style branches narrow (not petaloid) -Few to many flowers on stem, in spikes or panicles (not at end of stem like crocus) -Plant with a corm (as shown in one of Loosescan's photos) -Style 3-branched, with each branch bifid (split in two) -Bracts 1.5cm; spike bent horizontally near lowest flower; flowers on one side of stem; leaves soft; wingless seeds. From this description (Stace New Flora of thee British Isles), I suspect that your plant is not a Freesia. Sorry - I cannot tell you what it is. Peter - "Richard Wright" wrote in message . .. On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 13:13:50 +0900, "Loosecanon" wrote: You are right - the flower is scarlet. I agree the search must go on. To assist this I have posted a photo of the flower that shows more detail. The length of each petal is 9 mm. Note the brown base to the three lower petals. http://www.box.net/shared/static/zscyia95m1.jpg Perhaps a Fressia laxa http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pb..._laxa_msi2.jpg http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pb..._laxa_msi3.jpg http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pb..._laxa_msi4.jpg http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pb..._corms_msi.jpg http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pb...laxa_seeds.jpg Thanks. This is definitely the species. Peter The pictures of Freesia laxa (see URLs above) are identical to my plant. However on pursuing the matter further I find that this plant has been removed from the Freesia genus and renamed Anomatheca laxa. So perhaps that reconciles things. Furthermore the plant is naturalised in Sydney, where I saw it growing: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cg...nomatheca~laxa Richard |
#2
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ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
Not being a botanist or taxonomist I never know how pressing some of
these namings are. My chief amateur's hate is the introduction of the rule that a family must have a genus with the name that produces the name of the family - Hence long entrenched family names Umbilliferae and Brassicaceae were thrown out of the window. I suppose somebody made a botanical reputation out of engineering these changes. Confusion was created in the name of tidiness. I grew up in southern England, where one could learn to identify just about every flowering plant. Not so here in Oz, I have found. Richard On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 11:32:07 -0000, "Peter" wrote: Hi Richard I am sure that you are right as you have the plant there in front of you. Even though scientific names are meant to be standard, they are often changed, much to the confusion of this aging, amateur botanist. What a great website you quote. I have done several trips to Australia, having family in Sydney and friends in Melbourne and Perth. One of my principle pleasures there is your amazing flora. I would have been immensely helped by a resource such as this. I will bookmark it for future visits. Best wishes Peter [remainder of thread snipped] |
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[OT] ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
Richard,
Speaking of DNA ;-) Have you submitted your DNA to the Wright Family DNA project? http://www.wright-dna.org/ I have and the results are very interesting! Your probable cousin, Philip Wright |
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ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
The great thing, however, is to enjoy the beauty of them all!
Cheers Peter "Richard Wright" wrote in message news Not being a botanist or taxonomist I never know how pressing some of these namings are. My chief amateur's hate is the introduction of the rule that a family must have a genus with the name that produces the name of the family - Hence long entrenched family names Umbilliferae and Brassicaceae were thrown out of the window. I suppose somebody made a botanical reputation out of engineering these changes. Confusion was created in the name of tidiness. I grew up in southern England, where one could learn to identify just about every flowering plant. Not so here in Oz, I have found. Richard On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 11:32:07 -0000, "Peter" wrote: Hi Richard I am sure that you are right as you have the plant there in front of you. Even though scientific names are meant to be standard, they are often changed, much to the confusion of this aging, amateur botanist. What a great website you quote. I have done several trips to Australia, having family in Sydney and friends in Melbourne and Perth. One of my principle pleasures there is your amazing flora. I would have been immensely helped by a resource such as this. I will bookmark it for future visits. Best wishes Peter [remainder of thread snipped] |
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ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
"Richard Wright" schreef
My chief amateur's hate is the introduction of the rule that a family must have a genus with the name that produces the name of the family - Hence long entrenched family names Umbilliferae and Brassicaceae were thrown out of the window. *** Actually there is no such rule: it is perfectly within the rules to use Umbelliferae. It has become somewhat unfashionable, but any complaints should be directed against the writers of flora's and textbooks, not against the rules. The confusion you note is probably worse at the level of order and above. PvR |
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ID requested on scarlet lawn weed
"Peter" wrote in message
What a great website you quote. I have done several trips to Australia, having family in Sydney and friends in Melbourne and Perth. One of my principle pleasures there is your amazing flora. I would have been immensely helped by a resource such as this. I will bookmark it for future visits. I find this site useful too: http://www.cpbr.gov.au/anbg/ |
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