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!