I seen this at Cawdor Castle yesterday. Can someone tell me what it is as
I'd like to buy one. Seems like some sort of Eryngium (Sea Holly) but if so
which species. It's certainly not the one I normally see. This one has very
feathey flowers. The plant was growing to about 4 or 5 feet. BTW if anyones
up near Inverness, Cawdor Castle gardens are well worth a visit.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/whats-this.jpg

Alan

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:39:43 +0100, "Alan"
wrote:

I seen this at Cawdor Castle yesterday. Can someone tell me what it is as
I'd like to buy one. Seems like some sort of Eryngium (Sea Holly) but if so
which species. It's certainly not the one I normally see. This one has very
feathey flowers. The plant was growing to about 4 or 5 feet. BTW if anyones
up near Inverness, Cawdor Castle gardens are well worth a visit.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/whats-this.jpg

Alan

Wouldn't happen to be a type of Thistle, would it?
http://www.mccullagh.org/db7/d30-30/thistle.jpg

Bart

I bet it's Eryngium alpinum Blue Star. Cut and paste the full URL to see a
photo of it.

http://www.jparkers.co.uk/index.cfm?...d&continueacti
on=category.search&search=alpinum&producttype_id=1 6130


"Alan" wrote in message
...
I seen this at Cawdor Castle yesterday. Can someone tell me what it is as
I'd like to buy one. Seems like some sort of Eryngium (Sea Holly) but if
so
which species. It's certainly not the one I normally see. This one has
very
feathey flowers. The plant was growing to about 4 or 5 feet. BTW if
anyones
up near Inverness, Cawdor Castle gardens are well worth a visit.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/whats-this.jpg

Alan

In article , Bart Bailey
writes
On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:39:43 +0100, "Alan"
wrote:

I seen this at Cawdor Castle yesterday. Can someone tell me what it is as
I'd like to buy one. Seems like some sort of Eryngium (Sea Holly) but if so
which species. It's certainly not the one I normally see. This one has very
feathey flowers. The plant was growing to about 4 or 5 feet. BTW if anyones
up near Inverness, Cawdor Castle gardens are well worth a visit.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/whats-this.jpg

Alan

Wouldn't happen to be a type of Thistle, would it?
http://www.mccullagh.org/db7/d30-30/thistle.jpg

No - it is definitely an Eryngium.

And your picture wasn't a thistle either ;-)
It was a teasel - different family altogether - Dipsacaceae, as opposed
to carrot family for sea holly and daisy family for thistle.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 17:25:10 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

Wouldn't happen to be a type of Thistle, would it?
http://www.mccullagh.org/db7/d30-30/thistle.jpg

No - it is definitely an Eryngium.

And your picture wasn't a thistle either ;-)
It was a teasel - different family altogether - Dipsacaceae, as opposed
to carrot family for sea holly and daisy family for thistle.

It's a pic I had seen before from a digicam gallery reference,
http://www.mccullagh.org/image/d30-30/
and googled it up again, but it looks like the dead dried winter remains
of thistle I've seen in fields. Maybe your Eryngiums and our thistles
are like our respective yellow hammer birds? g

Bart

In article , Bart Bailey
writes
On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 17:25:10 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

Wouldn't happen to be a type of Thistle, would it?
http://www.mccullagh.org/db7/d30-30/thistle.jpg

No - it is definitely an Eryngium.

And your picture wasn't a thistle either ;-)
It was a teasel - different family altogether - Dipsacaceae, as opposed
to carrot family for sea holly and daisy family for thistle.

It's a pic I had seen before from a digicam gallery reference,
http://www.mccullagh.org/image/d30-30/
and googled it up again, but it looks like the dead dried winter remains
of thistle I've seen in fields. Maybe your Eryngiums and our thistles
are like our respective yellow hammer birds? g

I guess it's another demonstration of why we need the latin names!

Your pic is Dipsacus lacianatum or D fullonem - the latter was used in
the woollen trade for brushing out the nap on cloth. A whole lot of
teasel heads were put in a frame which was dragged across the cloth. It
was a long time before they managed to manufacture a brush which did the
job as well as the natural product.

The teasel is related to the scabious - Knautia, and when it flowers,
the whole head is a purple mass of flowers.

The round bit on a thistle is basically the calyx, and the flowers are
in a tuft at the top:

www.southernskyphoto.com/ macro/gallery_3.htm

The Eryngium looks superficially like the teasel in that the whole head
is made up of flowers, but if you look closely they are in an umbel,
which puts them in Umbellifereae (carrot family) - the nearest is
probably Astrantia.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Janice" wrote in message
...
I bet it's Eryngium alpinum Blue Star. Cut and paste the full URL to see
a
photo of it.


http://www.jparkers.co.uk/index.cfm?...d&continueacti
on=category.search&search=alpinum&producttype_id=1 6130


"Alan" wrote in message
...
I seen this at Cawdor Castle yesterday. Can someone tell me what it is
as
I'd like to buy one. Seems like some sort of Eryngium (Sea Holly) but if
so
which species. It's certainly not the one I normally see. This one has
very
feathey flowers. The plant was growing to about 4 or 5 feet. BTW if
anyones
up near Inverness, Cawdor Castle gardens are well worth a visit.

http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/whats-this.jpg

Alan




I'm sure your right - it's certainly not a teasel.
Chris S