Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: johnw on July 26, 2015, 02:19:58 AM

Title: Not the faintest
Post by: johnw on July 26, 2015, 02:19:58 AM

Every year we go to friends' for dinner and every time return puzzled about this plant in their garden.  They had three and are down to one and they say it has lavender flowers in the autumn.

johnw

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: Garden Prince on July 26, 2015, 05:57:42 AM

Looks very much like some form of Roscoea purpurea.

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: Brian Ellis on July 26, 2015, 08:59:37 AM

Quote from: johnw on July 26, 2015, 02:19:58 AM

....it has lavender flowers in the autumn.

What kind John, or were they non specific?

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: johnw on July 26, 2015, 10:35:51 AM

Brian - they could neither recall or describe the flowers as luck would have it. Ken stayed up trying to identify it and decided on Roscoea purpurea and likely one Terra Nova tissue-cultured called 'Cinnamon Stick' or another called 'Spice Island; these are rare as hen's  teeth in Canada. 

http://botanicallyinclined.org/roscoea-purpurea-roscoea-cinnamon-stick/?sa=X&ved=0CBcQ9QEwAWoVChMIgcGi_9T3xgIVw9OACh1-ogN2 (http://botanicallyinclined.org/roscoea-purpurea-roscoea-cinnamon-stick/?sa=X&ved=0CBcQ9QEwAWoVChMIgcGi_9T3xgIVw9OACh1-ogN2)

Looked remarkably robust for a borderline plant. Garden Prince you got it! 

Thanks john

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: ichristie on July 26, 2015, 04:20:57 PM

Hello I am sure that it is a Roscoea hybrid probably purpurea x with R. Red Gurkha we have similar in the garden which came from Robin White  cheers Ian the Christie kind

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: Garden Prince on July 26, 2015, 04:29:05 PM

My Roscoea purpurea 'Brown Peacock' flowers like this:

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: johnw on July 26, 2015, 04:44:48 PM

Ian  - I wonder if that cross has made it into production here in North America?  It was purchased in a run-of-the-mill garden centre so it had to have been mass-produced.  They believe they got it 3-5 years ago.

john

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: johnw on July 26, 2015, 08:14:51 PM

Having sent the owners the two possibilities they now recall it was indeed R. purpurea 'Spice Island'

john - +18c at 4pm, chilly for July.

Title: Re: Not the faintest
Post by: Lesley Cox on July 27, 2015, 12:03:53 AM

I didn't think Roscoea, but maybe Reineckia?