View Full Version : Flower ID please
Hi! This flower is growing on a Cornish field boundary (stone wall in an earth bank), approx 700ft above sea level, west facing slope. I've looked online and in my Collins Wildflower book (which I find very good), and cannot find it. Spikes of creamy white flowers, approx 30-40cms (just over 1 foot), leaves must be right at the base as I can't see them through the general foliage. Each flower is about 5mm I guess. Maybe its a garden flower that's just turned up here?
(Sorry for the bad quality, my tinypics account is messing me around and I can't get the link to the proper picture)
http://oi61.tinypic.com/35luq7a.jpg
http://oi62.tinypic.com/16gl7x5.jpg
luresalive
24-06-2014, 12:34 PM
The only thing it's reminiscent of is white foxglove but I have no idea from the pictures.
Valantine
24-06-2014, 01:41 PM
pic's are too small for a firm ID
OK, gave tinypics a good slapping and reposted rthe photos. Should be better.
Yeah I wondered about "baby foxgloves", but tiny flowers though and there are a lot of flowers on each spike, and the spikes have flowers 360°.
Valantine
24-06-2014, 04:32 PM
Best way to tell is by the leaves. Google search "foxglove leaves" images
I don't think they are foxgloves due to the short height foxgloves are tall
luresalive
24-06-2014, 05:07 PM
Google 'Rusty Foxgloves' and tell me what you think..pic of the leaves and better pics of the flowers would be good.
Certainly there are similarities. There are almost no leaves, but the stalks come straight out the bank. What leaves I can find are maximum 5mm (very small), yellow and a little in the shape of a geranium leaf (lobate?) and not foxglove-like. They also look a bit sick from being tucked away out of the sun. There is no foliage or greenery between the individual flowers. The stems are quite delicate, a little like bluebells, I've seen white bluebells but these aren't those.
OK! Panic over !!! Its Navelwort!!!
I managed to find it in this PDF...
www.lancashirewildlife.org.uk/leaflets/CPS-FLOWER-GUIDE.pdf
And then searched for it to confirm, I found the following site ...
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/navelwort
Ashley Cawley
25-06-2014, 06:27 AM
Yes I would have said the flowering part of Navelwort (aka Pennywort), the photo makes them look huge :) looks like they've bolted because they're being shaded out by other foliage in that spot. On an exposed rock/wall face I don't think the flower normally grows that tall.
If it does have the round-leaves of the Navelwort (check other references for visual ID) then the leaves are edible.
T^
They're shaded by Beech trees so even though South facing they only get the sun in the afternoon. The biggest ones are over 1 foot, I tried to put my left hand in the picture but trying to hold the phone still and take the photo required 2 hands didn't work (especially the macro shot of the flowers).
The website seemed to infer that Pennywort was related but not the same, but I'll check that again as I'll defer to your local knowledge.
I found a Cornwall Foragers Guide online which mentions Pennywort/Navelwort is edible but I could only find 1 or 2 tiny leaves on all the plants I checked.
Why it isn't in the Collins Wildflower Guide I have no idea as they even have rare stuff in there.
Thanks to all, I'm checking all the flowers around where I'm pitched, finding old ones from my childhood in Sussex (birds foot trefoil, bugle, foxglove, plantains, bluebells, as well as buttercups and daisies of course) and new ones (so far I think I've found Greater Willowherb, Hawksbeard, Lesser Celandine, and now Pennywort!) so I may be back soon, I've got a Speedwell like flower I need to nail down too!
Edit: just seen it on the main website Ashley. Doh!
Edit 2. I wasn't happy about the Bugle... Its too small I think its Selfheal. All the flowers here are really short due to the mowing I guess, its throwing off my id-ing!
Thanks again.
luresalive
25-06-2014, 07:21 AM
Glad you found it out, shows how difficult it is to judge from a pic, they looked 4 or 5 feet tall to me!!
JonnyP
27-06-2014, 08:01 PM
Its been an amazing year for Pennywort. I have never seen so many. The flower spikes have been huge this year.
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