Mystery plants from Bulgaria and Macedonia

[Kees Jan]

During a recent trip to the Balkan I photographed some plants that I was not able to identify. Here are the first three...

The first is a Lonicera of some sort, photographed in the Rhodope Mountains, southern Bulgaria.
The second one? No idea..., this plant was about a metre tall and found at low altitude in the southern Rhodope, west of Smoljan (in the meantime identified as Amorpha fruticosa, an introduced species)
The 3rd and 4th are pics from the same plant, it is something in Asteraceae, also in southern Rhodope at rather low altitude, about 20cm tall
The 5th is something I don't recognize at all, photographed at low altitude in central Macedonia

[John85]

Second plant looks like amorpha

[Maggi Young]

Second plant looks like amorpha

That seems right, John.

No idea what the lonicera is, but it is very nice.

[Kees Jan]

Thanks for putting me on the right track since I had no idea. It seems to be the 'desert false indigo, or indigo bush' (Amorpha fruticosa), a North American plant that has been introduced into Europe...

[Kovacs Pal]

I think the 3. and 4. is an Achillea ageratifolia.

[Maggi Young]

Kees Jan, Ian suggests Lonicera nigra for number one

[Kees Jan]

Thanks!

[Afloden]

Yes, on the Amorpha.

 That might be the Lonicera, but maybe L. tatarica as well. The two seem awfully close.

 

[Maggi Young]

 That might be the Lonicera, but maybe L. tatarica as well. The two seem awfully close.

 

The leaves on nigra are more elongated, while those on tatarica  are more 'rounded' , isn't that one distinction? I can't see the foliage very clearly on the pic, but you may be right ( again!) Aaron   

[Afloden]

I think there are some pedicel length differences as well, but we would have to see it in mature fruit too. They elongate in nigra and hang below the branches when mature and are large and dark blue/black. Tatarica are on short erect pedicels and red. There are flowering time differences as well. If these were taken during the summer nigra may be the better choice.

[dscherberich]

I think this is rather Lonicera tatarica which has a 4 lobed upper lip with the 2 lateral lobes lobed to the very base and spreading. It is especially visible on the flower on the right side. Lonicera nigra has a distinctly bilabiate corolla with the upper lip very shallowly lobed. It gives the flower a very different aspect.

[Kees Jan]

Thanks for the Lonicera advice.

Here are a few more challenges. The first two pics are of a Geranium (in flower and leaf) that I was not able to name, photographed in Pelister NP, southern Macedonia
3rd pictures is something in Asteraceae, photographed at about 700m in SC Macedonia
Subsequently a picture of a Senecio on Mount Korab, near the Albanian border
Finally an Iris of some sort, foothills of Mount Korab

[John85]

The geranium looks like sylvaticum,but it is difficult to be sure from those pictures.G. pratense is very variable.Certainly one of those two.Do you have an other picture?

[Kees Jan]

Here are two more pictures of the Geranium

[Kees Jan]

And a mistery Dianthus..., photographed on limestone in the NW of Macedonia, in the mountains near Tetova.