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#1
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What is it??
Last year I noticed a new plant growing in my garden. Initially I thought it
was a weed but it looked interesting so I left it (them... there are 2). I have asked several 'gardening friends' but nobody is able to tell me what the plant is called. This year it would appear that there will be a yellow flower. Can anybody please tell me what this strange plant is. http://www.argentfamily.co.uk/Images/Plant/dscn2809.jpg http://www.argentfamily.co.uk/Images/Plant/dscn2810.jpg http://www.argentfamily.co.uk/Images/Plant/dscn2811.jpg Much appreciated |
#2
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What is it??
This is Euphorbia lathyrus - the 'Caper Spurge' occasionally reputed to
rid gardens of moles. An annual plant, it develops a solitary stem anywhere between 60 - 90cms.high with a rather pleasingly cruciform arrangement of blue green leaves, terminating in a cluster of lime green flowers and bracts. It does well in sun or very light shade and pops up regularly if you let the seed pods ripen and explode on hot sunny days. (Gertrude Jekyll used to sit and write in her summer house as the seeds rattled on the roof above - she found it a pleasant experience and you'll probably do too.) Nuff of that - it's a fine plant that looks well in the right place and although it can be a prolific seeder, unwelcome youngsters are easily removed. Being a Mediterranean 'invader' that does well when happy and can't be persuaded to grow when not, it's a much welcomed visitor in many gardens. |
#3
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What is it??
This is Euphorbia lathyrus - the 'Caper Spurge' occasionally reputed to rid gardens of moles. An annual plant, it develops a solitary stem snip a word of warning the milky sap causes great irritation to some people, I have been unlucky or maybe careless and have had two reactions on my face and several years later still have the scars to prove it. kate |
#4
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What is it??
Kay wrote:
It seems to be biennial in habit - if doesn't flower the first year, and it dies in the second year after flowering Ah yes, I forgot about the north-south divide. In the south, seedlings germinate quickly and make good progress often continuing to grow throughout winter. These usually flower in late spring and die as the seeds ripen - hence the annual bit. Further north, the seedlings make much less headway, barely reaching more than a couple of centimetres before winter and many do not even germinate until the following spring. Most of the growth takes place during summer and with flowers developing in the spring of the next year. Quite right about the 'caper' bit. The common name merely alludes to the similarity that unripe seeds have to capers. True capers are the pickled flower buds of a South African shrub - Capparis spinosa - which are pleasantly piquant or not depending upon your taste. Try pickling and eating the seeds of Euphorbia lathyrus and you'll end up feeling extremely unwell. |
#5
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What is it??
DavePoole Torquay writes
Kay wrote: It seems to be biennial in habit - if doesn't flower the first year, and it dies in the second year after flowering Ah yes, I forgot about the north-south divide. In the south, seedlings germinate quickly and make good progress often continuing to grow throughout winter. These usually flower in late spring and die as the seeds ripen - hence the annual bit. Further north, the seedlings make much less headway, barely reaching more than a couple of centimetres before winter Probably about 6 inches with us in Yorkshire, much the same where I grew up in Worcestershire. I hadn't realised they could do the whole lot in one year further south! -- Kay |
#6
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What is it??
"DavePoole Torquay" wrote in message oups.com... Kay wrote: It seems to be biennial in habit - if doesn't flower the first year, and it dies in the second year after flowering Ah yes, I forgot about the north-south divide. In the south, seedlings germinate quickly and make good progress often continuing to grow throughout winter. These usually flower in late spring and die as the seeds ripen - hence the annual bit. Further north, the seedlings make much less headway, barely reaching more than a couple of centimetres before winter and many do not even germinate until the following spring. Most of the growth takes place during summer and with flowers developing in the spring of the next year. Quite right about the 'caper' bit. The common name merely alludes to the similarity that unripe seeds have to capers. True capers are the pickled flower buds of a South African shrub - Capparis spinosa - which are pleasantly piquant or not depending upon your taste. Try pickling and eating the seeds of Euphorbia lathyrus and you'll end up feeling extremely unwell. That annual/ biennial bit and the N/S divide explains why I have got a few that seem to forget in which part of the country they are living. It's most confusing I never quite know whether they are just coming or going. |
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