I'm following Decumbent's lead, and posting pictures of interesting plants (to me) with less than clear images of obscure plant parts.
There will be a series of three; please hold friendly fire till they are (slowly) posted, about 5 minutes each from here at the Valley.
Whole plant of this aged (maybe 40 years?) specimen.
Next, a surprising clear image of stems, buds, and petioles!
Finally, the seeds.
This plant has fragrant flowers, is native over much of the eastern US, and can make a fine plant in sun or shade.
Vv,
I think that I know what it is but won't spoil all of the fun. Does the specific epithet describe the number of leaflets the plant has? When shooting at the sky, taking the camera off of 'Auto' and dialing up the exposure so that the subject doesn't turn out black is helpful to other viewers. Or perhaps this was part of the test?
Regards,
Ernie
Hamamelis virginiana?
hmmmm....bud under petiole.....hmmmmm......
Could fragrant to one be stinking to another?
I really don't know, it was just a guess. LOL
Hummmmmmmm.. Was the back and gray pic of the seeds to keep us guessing? Not sure too hard to really tell but how about Euronymus americanus, Strawberry bush?
Those who want to keep the thread open/unsolved are welcome to dmail their ID.
LHDP:
I would do what you suggest, if I knew what you meant. My digicam is not very sofistikayted. I did say up front that the images weren't tops. Yes.
E-guy:
Not a Hamamelis, H. virginiana or otherwise. This plant will have displayed its unisexual blooms back in late spring, thus the seeds present now.
I included the petiole pic just so astute observers would note just what Kevin did.
starlightstarbright:
First star unseen tonight...look first for general divisions amongst plants, in order to start sorting out what the plant might be. Opposite vs. alternate is where I tell everyone to begin. All the Euonymus are going to be oppositely arranged, bud - leaf - branch.
Why, lookee, there were a few leaves left on this plant (photos from last Thursday).
And one clearer view of the seeds; what they look like is directly related to one of this plant's common names.
Staphylea trifolia
This message was edited Nov 12, 2006 6:40 PM
Trifoliate, yes; bladdernut, no.
Staphylea is an opposite-leaved chap, and it's seeds come encased in an inflated bladder (very similar in appearance to those on Koelreuteria); hence the name.
The seeds of this plant have been used as one of the components in beer.
This plant hails from the Rutaceae, which is also home to Zanthoxylum. Both these plants host the larvae of one of the swallowtail butterflies.
Ahhh ha! Ptelea trifoliata
VV,
Looks like you have one of them Russian or Polish cameras from the spelling of it :P Very hard to adjust. Some don't at all. Oh well. I knew the plant from the petioles hanging on and the way the seeds look like little bundles of garbage hanging on the tree. I took the seed shot into Photoshop and brightened it up a bit to get a good look at the seeds to confirm the ID. The question remains: Have you or Scott used the fruit in the manufacture of adult beverages?
Regards,
Ernie
You mean, no one taught you the true meaning of imbibition in your propagation classes? School these days...
What crazy looking fruit. New tree for me. Gonna have to look that one up and see what it is about. Love these gussing games actually. I may not get them right, but getting an interesting education and learning what else is out there in the world.
"You mean, no one taught you the true meaning of imbibition in your propagation classes? School these days... "
LOL.... Sad the things we get deprived off isn't it. heheheh
