I have a little puzzle for everyone.

In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
The donor had no idea of its name.
The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards. I dare not
pinch it out until I know what it is.

The flowers can best be described as being similar to the houseplant
known as the shrimp plant. The red-purple bracts are four-sided, with
smallish purple flowers. I wish I'd picked one off the main bush and
pressed it, for I'm working entirely from memory here.

The leaves are heart-shaped. The original is a fast-growing metre+
high bush which seeds freely and loves alkaline soil (it was in
Weymouth).

Anyone any idea? I've been through the RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and
Flowers, looking at the summer mid-sized and large shrubs, and have
found nothing similar. Not even sure it *is* a shrub as I didn't get a
close enough look at the mother plant. Might be a hardy perennial.

Google doesn't turn up anything for purple shrimp bush :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

jane wrote:

I have a little puzzle for everyone.

In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
The donor had no idea of its name.
The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards. I dare not
pinch it out until I know what it is.

The flowers can best be described as being similar to the houseplant
known as the shrimp plant. The red-purple bracts are four-sided, with
smallish purple flowers. I wish I'd picked one off the main bush and
pressed it, for I'm working entirely from memory here.

SNIPPED

Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
BTW-)

http://images.google.com/images?q=Le...e=UTF-8&client
=googlet&sa=N&tab=wi

That has 'stacked' reddish purple flowers and leaves 'could' be
described as heary shaped.. In its early life it'd grow a single stem
up as well, and it does seed freely..

Jim

Try Leycesteria formosaa

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

In article 1g59gff.2pzi8tcluq36N%00senetnospamtodayta@macunl imited.net
, Jim W writes
jane wrote:

I have a little puzzle for everyone.

In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
The donor had no idea of its name.
The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards.

Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
BTW-)

You will need to move it into the ground soon. That stem will grow to
about eight feet!! Additionally, lots of other stems will come up from
the bottom - bit like bamboo. We usually cut out all the stems of two
years or more to keep the plant under control and flowering freely.
The berries are loved by birds and you will find seedlings coming up all
over the place - so it isn't that unusual!!!!!!!!
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 10:00:50 +0000, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article 1g59gff.2pzi8tcluq36N%00senetnospamtodayta@macunl imited.net
~, Jim W writes
~jane wrote:
~
~ I have a little puzzle for everyone.
~
~ In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
~ The donor had no idea of its name.
~ The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
~ yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards.
~
~Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
~BTW-)

~
~You will need to move it into the ground soon. That stem will grow to
~about eight feet!! Additionally, lots of other stems will come up from
~the bottom - bit like bamboo. We usually cut out all the stems of two
~years or more to keep the plant under control and flowering freely.
~The berries are loved by birds and you will find seedlings coming up all
~over the place - so it isn't that unusual!!!!!!!!

THANKYOU BOTH!!!!!
Yes, it's in the book ... just not illustrated in the colour-coded
identification section of my oldish edition!!!

Wonderful - a bird bush. Just what I need. I know exactly where that's
going to go... besides the buddleia globosa so I can attract
butterflies and birds both :-) though I guess mine will be slightly
hard done by as full sun isn't available in the shrub section. Still,
it's got two chances...

I guess the definition of unusual is something you personally haven't
come across before. :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 10:00:50 +0000, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article 1g59gff.2pzi8tcluq36N%00senetnospamtodayta@macunl imited.net
~, Jim W writes
~jane wrote:
~
~ I have a little puzzle for everyone.
~
~ In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
~ The donor had no idea of its name.
~ The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
~ yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards.
~
~Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
~BTW-)

~
~You will need to move it into the ground soon. That stem will grow to
~about eight feet!! Additionally, lots of other stems will come up from
~the bottom - bit like bamboo. We usually cut out all the stems of two
~years or more to keep the plant under control and flowering freely.
~The berries are loved by birds and you will find seedlings coming up all
~over the place - so it isn't that unusual!!!!!!!!

THANKYOU BOTH!!!!!
Yes, it's in the book ... just not illustrated in the colour-coded
identification section of my oldish edition!!!

Wonderful - a bird bush. Just what I need. I know exactly where that's
going to go... besides the buddleia globosa so I can attract
butterflies and birds both :-) though I guess mine will be slightly
hard done by as full sun isn't available in the shrub section. Still,
it's got two chances...

I guess the definition of unusual is something you personally haven't
come across before. :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

jane1/12/03 11:11

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 10:00:50 +0000, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article 1g59gff.2pzi8tcluq36N%00senetnospamtodayta@macunl imited.net
~, Jim W writes
~jane wrote:
~
~ I have a little puzzle for everyone.
~
~ In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
~ The donor had no idea of its name.
~ The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
~ yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards.
~
~Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
~BTW-)

~
~You will need to move it into the ground soon. That stem will grow to
~about eight feet!! Additionally, lots of other stems will come up from
~the bottom - bit like bamboo. We usually cut out all the stems of two
~years or more to keep the plant under control and flowering freely.
~The berries are loved by birds and you will find seedlings coming up all
~over the place - so it isn't that unusual!!!!!!!!

THANKYOU BOTH!!!!!
Yes, it's in the book ... just not illustrated in the colour-coded
identification section of my oldish edition!!!

Wonderful - a bird bush. Just what I need. I know exactly where that's
going to go... besides the buddleia globosa so I can attract
butterflies and birds both :-) though I guess mine will be slightly
hard done by as full sun isn't available in the shrub section. Still,
it's got two chances...

I guess the definition of unusual is something you personally haven't
come across before. :-)

Considering how common it is, it's amazing how many people don't know
Leycesteria formosa. It's a lovely plant but as has been said already, it
does seed all over the place. We have one straggly and unattractive
specimen growing out of a granite wall at the entrance to our drive and this
has reminded me to go and hoick it out! But be warned, it does spread, as
does Buddleia, so give both breathing space.
I know as we all do, that most Buddleias attract butterflies but I'm trying
to think whether I have seen them on B globosa much and I don't recall that
I have. Anyone?
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

Sacha wrote:

jane1/12/03 11:11

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 10:00:50 +0000, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article 1g59gff.2pzi8tcluq36N%00senetnospamtodayta@macunl imited.net
~, Jim W writes
~jane wrote:
~
~ I have a little puzzle for everyone.
~
~ In the summer (end July) I was given a seedling from an unusual plant.
~ The donor had no idea of its name.
~ The seedling is currently thriving in a pot, is outside though has not
~ yet lost any leaves, and is growing a single stem upwards.
~
~Leycestria formosa?... Pheasant berry.. (this IS in the RHS encylo
~BTW-)

~
~You will need to move it into the ground soon. That stem will grow to
~about eight feet!! Additionally, lots of other stems will come up from
~the bottom - bit like bamboo. We usually cut out all the stems of two
~years or more to keep the plant under control and flowering freely.
~The berries are loved by birds and you will find seedlings coming up all
~over the place - so it isn't that unusual!!!!!!!!

THANKYOU BOTH!!!!!
Yes, it's in the book ... just not illustrated in the colour-coded
identification section of my oldish edition!!!

Wonderful - a bird bush. Just what I need. I know exactly where that's
going to go... besides the buddleia globosa so I can attract
butterflies and birds both :-) though I guess mine will be slightly
hard done by as full sun isn't available in the shrub section. Still,
it's got two chances...

I guess the definition of unusual is something you personally haven't
come across before. :-)

Considering how common it is, it's amazing how many people don't know
Leycesteria formosa. It's a lovely plant but as has been said already, it
does seed all over the place. We have one straggly and unattractive
specimen growing out of a granite wall at the entrance to our drive and this
has reminded me to go and hoick it out! But be warned, it does spread, as
does Buddleia, so give both breathing space.
I know as we all do, that most Buddleias attract butterflies but I'm trying
to think whether I have seen them on B globosa much and I don't recall that
I have. Anyone?

Yep, but they seem to prefer the longer flowering season of a x
weyeranii.. Ours is still flowering ( or trying to, just) here even
after 2 sharpish frosts.

AS for Leycestria,.. yes it 'looks' unusual but its really common as
muck;-) despite what the RHS says it does resonably well in shade, I
belive it gets its common name from use as a cover planting for pheasant
rearing areas, etc..


Jim

I have a little puzzle for everyone.
The flowers can best be described as being similar to the houseplant
known as the shrimp plant. The red-purple bracts are four-sided, with
smallish purple flowers. I wish I'd picked one off the main bush and
pressed it, for I'm working entirely from memory here.

The leaves are heart-shaped. The original is a fast-growing metre+
high bush which seeds freely and loves alkaline soil (it was in
Weymouth).


Google doesn't turn up anything for purple shrimp bush :-)

A little late in answering but it might be Cerinthe major
purpurescens.

I have a little puzzle for everyone.
The flowers can best be described as being similar to the houseplant
known as the shrimp plant. The red-purple bracts are four-sided, with
smallish purple flowers. I wish I'd picked one off the main bush and
pressed it, for I'm working entirely from memory here.

The leaves are heart-shaped. The original is a fast-growing metre+
high bush which seeds freely and loves alkaline soil (it was in
Weymouth).


Google doesn't turn up anything for purple shrimp bush :-)

A little late in answering but it might be Cerinthe major
purpurescens.