June 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[David Lyttle]

Rapistrum rugosum, or something similar, is a common weed around here, especially on the bare patches of earth created by the "weed spraying round the edges of grassy areas and every tree or bush" policy. My tortoises love it, but the hairs on older leaves make my hands itch.

I have not found any records of it on the Nature Watch NZ website; the short pods are very different from any other weedy brassica making it fairly distinctive so I suspect the NZPCN record is an error. There are a number of weedy brassicas with yellow flowers round including the wild relatives of the cultivated ones; wild turnip (Brassica napus subsp sylvestris), cabbage ( Brassica oleracea) and rape (Brassica napus).

[Anthony Darby]

Had a look through Google. Brassica rapa sylvestris seems to fit the bill and is common throughout New Zealand. It wouldn't grow at all round our football pitches it they didn't provide beautiful bare patches of earth courtesy of the generous weed spraying policy.

[Jupiter]

Tropaeolum peregrinum


Rizehensis dances in the breeze


Oxalis palmifrons settled into its new home


Mum's stone carving


Campanula rapunculoides, borderline weed.

[Chris Johnson]

I particularly like the Oxalis palmifrons, Jamus. Apparently a reluctant flowerer in the UK and grown mainly for its foliage, but one I will seek out.

[Jupiter]

Chris I couldn't care less if palmifrons flowers or not, I'm content with the leaves, but I do look forward to the tubers getting larger and producing bigger rosettes with that lovely radial symmetry.


It seems I'm not the only Galanthophile around here... S. Arnott was irresistible to this fellow.


I can't stop trying to take the perfect shot of this clump of rizehensis... I don't mind this one.


Androsace lanuginosa

[Jupiter]

Rumex sanguineus

[Brian Ellis]

I really like the Bloody Dock Jamus, have to be careful about seeds though!

[Jupiter]

Thanks for the warning Brian, I'll be sure to remove flowers spikes when they form. I'm loving it at the moment too.

[Roma]

I really like the Bloody Dock Jamus, have to be careful about seeds though!

Thanks for the reminder, Brian.  I must behead mine very soon and be a bit more ruthless with weeding out seedlings.

[Lesley Cox]

I love Oxalis palmifrons too - for its leaves. I've never had a flower which I believe should be pale pink. Fermi has his flower though and has shown it here occasionally. It's very hardy. A friend a little north of Dunedin has hers flower and says she repots it every couple of years with a cowpat at the bottom of the pot. O. triangularis does flower but I'd as soon it didn't as the small, long-stemmed pale pink flowers are so wimpy, on such magnificent foliage. It really shouldn't bother.

I also have that Rumex and wonder does it vary because the veining on mine is bright blood red, not that greyish shade. It flowers but in about 6 or 7 years I've not had a self-sown seedling so maybe they're not fertile? There's never been anything that looked like dock seed - and believe me I know well what those look like. I see you've called it Bloody Dock Brian. Fair enough. Usually the whole lot to me are just bloody docks! (Sorry).

[Lesley Cox]

Your Androsace Jamus, is it pink or white flowered? White is var leichtlinii, more common here than the pink and to my mind, nicer.

[Jupiter]

Lesley it's white flowered and there are a lot of flower buds developing now. I haven't seen the pink variety of this species but I have Androsace sempervivoides. Thanks for the variety name.

ps. the bloody dock is bloody red, just a trick of the light when I took that photo. I had reflections off the surface of the leaves which dulls the colours.

[fermi de Sousa]

Chris I couldn't care less if palmifrons flowers or not, I'm content with the leaves, but I do look forward to the tubers getting larger and producing bigger rosettes with that lovely radial symmetry.

Hi Jamus,
here's what Oxalis palmifrons can look like in the garden after a few years (you have been warned!).

I love Oxalis palmifrons too - for its leaves. I've never had a flower which I believe should be pale pink. Fermi has his flower though and has shown it here occasionally. It's very hardy. A friend a little north of Dunedin has hers flower and says she repots it every couple of years with a cowpat at the bottom of the pot.

Hi Lesley,
it must've been a large pot or a small cow
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

   Fermi, thanks... that is a rampant patch. Look fabulous but I don't have unlimited space so I'll be keeping a close eye on it.

[Lesley Cox]

Large pot Fermi. I have wondered if keeping it confined and root bound would encourage bloom. Works for some things but not with this one, not for me anyway.