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Two plants need identification please
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:35 pm
by Cloud
These two plants we inherited from the previous owners. This first I thought looked like Shrimp Tail (Justicia brandegeana) and I've been calling it this, but I've now seen a proper Shrimp Tail plant and our is nothing like it. It's very beautiful, but I'm worried that it seems so vigourous. It's about four of five foot high. It has black berry hidden in the red petal/leaves (sepals?), and white flowers.

- Like, but not shrimp tail
- shrimp.jpg (62.59 KiB) Viewed 3537 times
Then this second one we discovered today. I'm calling it
sapient pearwood as it has little legs along it branches (a little like ivy), but is woody like currents. Looks like the previous owner planned to have it creeping up the south facing fence. I'm rather hoping it might have fruit of some sort. Pity we didn't find it sooner as flowers would have helped the ID.

- sapient pearwood
- climber.jpg (60.51 KiB) Viewed 3537 times
EDIT - didn't think the first picture told the whole story. Here's a close up of another part of the same plant.

- wood little legs
- climber2.jpg (50.34 KiB) Viewed 3536 times
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:03 pm
by snapdragon
I think the first pic is Pheasant Berry
the second looks a bit like a decorative quince
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:30 am
by Millymollymandy
The first one is Leycesteria formosa or Pheasant bush/tree/berry/whatever
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leycesteria_formosa
2nd one I don't recognise.
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:50 pm
by Thomzo
Well thanks for this as I have both. Like you, I thought (was told) that the first one was a shrimp plant so I now know better.
I don't know the name of the second but if it is what I have then it is VERY invasive. The sticky pads stick to anything and it will get in between your fence panels and force them apart. It was all the way up the outside of my house in one season and making its way inside the roof space. Apparently the previous owners had problems with it lifting roof tiles and blocking air vents. It has small green berries that hang in bunches like tiny grapes.
Zoe
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:52 pm
by Cloud
snapdragon wrote:I think the first pic is Pheasant Berry
Thanks. You and MMM have hit the nail on the head with this. That's it all right.
snapdragon wrote:the second looks a bit like a decorative quince
I really hope it is. I'd love to have a quince, even a decorative quince, as I want to plant an apple tree and I gather quince will fertilise an apple. I didn't know quince had all those 'legs', I didn't think it was a creeper.
Thomzo wrote:I don't know the name of the second but if it is what I have then it is VERY invasive. The sticky pads stick to anything and it will get in between your fence panels and force them apart. It was all the way up the outside of my house in one season and making its way inside the roof space. Apparently the previous owners had problems with it lifting roof tiles and blocking air vents. It has small green berries that hang in bunches like tiny grapes.
That's worrying. Sound just like what I have. Fortunately mine is nowhere near the house, but it is on a fence and certainly taking hold of it. Could it actually be some sort of vine? But the leave look more like apple (or quince)! I'm confused.
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:55 pm
by Millymollymandy
It doesn't look like Japonica (ornamental quince) to me. Japonica grows as a rather messy looking bush/shrub - best bet is to google some pictures of it to compare to your plant.
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:45 pm
by Plotter
The second one is not a quince, it reminds me most of a climbing hydrangea but I'm not sure.
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:42 pm
by Cloud
Plotter wrote:The second one is not a quince, it reminds me most of a climbing hydrangea but I'm not sure.
Oh, Plotter, I think you're on to something there! With that name to search with google is sowing some very similar to my plants. It's certainly got those little aerial root thing going for it, and the leaves match too. Only some of the best picture suggest the branches should be more orange, but maybe that just different types.
If it is a climbing hydrangea it will be a lovely plant with some gorgeous flowers, going by the pictures.
Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 3:03 pm
by Cloud
Yes, it is a climbing hydrangea. I eventually took brach to a local garden centre for Id and he recognised it immediately as Hydrangea Petiolaris, a.k.a Climing Hydrangea.
And with all the cutting back and clearing out we've been doing we've fond more plants, some we can't identify (yet), but among them was a Flowing Quince (it still had it's label from the garden centre). So we get our decorative Quince too!
Finding thing we doin't know we had it becoming a favourite pasttime

Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:42 pm
by frozenthunderbolt
Sapient pear wood would have been much more fun . . .

Re: Two plants need identification please
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:08 am
by Millymollymandy
Great that you've found out what it is!
