Several of you enjoy my flower quiz but I have yet to be successful at catching you out. At least one of my blogging friends always manages to identify the flower shown..... but I live in hopes♡ Sometimes I show just part of a flower, or take a micro shot, but today I am generously giving you a whole flower spray.
This flower is completely new to me. I spotted it during our Christmas holiday in Paris. It was growing in a municipal roadside flower bed near to where our eldest son and family live.
The flowers are small, creamy yellow - my first impression was that they are rather insignificant, but on closer inspection they were prettier than I initially thought. The leaves are strap like resembling those of the Oleander. One clue is that it has very extraordinary seed pods, details of which I am saving until I give the answer!
We bought some seeds home with us which we may well live to regret!!!
As usual I shall turn comments moderation on to give everyone a fair chance, and will post the answer on Thursday 18th February.
I opened my blogging dashboard and immediately saw this wonderful flower. Aha, a new quiz of Rosemary. At first glance I thought it was a trick of an Oleander with an Orchid in front, but no it was not. I really have never seen this flower before and I´m very curious to know. It might be a terrible weed when it was flowering in Christmastime. Looking forward to hear the result.
ReplyDeleteSome very astute observations Janneke and I too thought that it resembled an orchid when I looked at it closely. You are one of my blogging friends who often gets the answer right.
DeleteAs you said the leaves are like that of Oleander leaf.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an orchid of some kind but it's not - said much the same as Janneke. Expect husband doesn't know!
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DeleteI have no idea. But have every confidence someone will get the right answer. If I need a plant ID I put it up on the blog and haven't been disappointed yet.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suspect someone from the country where it grows prolifically will get it right. I only discovered the answer myself after researching it.
DeleteOrchid, narcissus - I have no idea! I shall have to wait and see!
ReplyDelete♡
DeleteNever fear -- you always stump ME with these flower quizzes!
ReplyDelete♡
DeleteHello Rosemary, I am sure that I have seen this, but racking my brain does no good, so I'll have to wait with everyone else for the big unveiling.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim - I suspect that you probably do know this plant.
DeleteAqui no Brasil, especificamente no Rio de Janeiro onde vivo tem muitas "espirradeiras" Nerium, quando se chega próximo ao nosso nariz, seu pólen nos faz espirrar. São lindas e de várias cores.
ReplyDeletebeijinhos, Léah
Thank you Léah for your comment - the plant does share features with the Oleander in particular the strap-like leaves, and also they are both poisonous.
DeleteAt first I thought the flower reminded me of Hoya, but after thinking and looking close at the flower I would say it is a type of milkweed, possibly Narrow-leaf Milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
ReplyDeleteAsclepias fascicularis has different flowers
DeleteNoticed in another post that you said it is from South Africa, so could it be Asclepias physocarpa?
DeleteThis time you are correct
DeleteI have absolutely no clue but am curious to find out!
ReplyDelete♡
DeleteLooks like an orchid with Oleander leaves, and I get the feeling that the flowers are beautifully scented ...but really can't think of the name.
ReplyDeleteIt does look a bit like an orchid, however, the flowers are very small and the leaves are very similar to the Oleander. I didn't smell the flowers but understand that they have a light vanilla scent.
DeleteHi Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful and seems to have descended from a tropical flower. No answer from me
Hope you have a great week
Helen xx
Hello Helen - lovely to hear from you - the plant originates from S.Africa.
DeleteNo idea! I am fascinated though as always to find out more, I always learn so much from your quizzes! xx
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned this flower was also new to be too Amy
DeleteSo interesting - it looks a bit like the Singapore orchids I had in my wedding bouquet! But as you say not an orchid, I also think it looks like a Passionfruit flower, or some other fruit perhaps?
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw it growing, an orchid didn't immediately spring to my mind, but when I processed the photo I too thought that it resembled an orchid.
DeleteAbsolutely no idea from this side of the pond.....but happy to see you back!
ReplyDeleteThis plant is grown on your side of the pond for a specific reason!
DeleteMmmmh - I'm at a loss: the leaves look like oleander; the flowers like little orchids or vanilla - but in Paris?? The seedpots might contain many, many seeds, I imagine (as my evening primrose - thousands, when young easily to plug out of the soil). Family of Euphorbia?
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the seedpods Britta.
DeleteDear Rosemary, This one is a tough one. The plant must be related to Oleander...the leaves, the many seeds and even the flowers. You say that the flowers are very small. That is probably why most of us can't identify it. But you are going to see if you can be successful in growing it from seed. So this little plant must have some charm. Looking forward to the answer.
ReplyDeleteIt shares many similarities with Oleander Gina and even exudes the same white poisonous sap which is enjoyed by the same insects to both plants. However, I can't find any botanical link to both of them. I am going to try and grow some but mostly out of curiosity.
DeleteHello dear Rosemary!Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteNo ,i can not guess !
It looks alot like the lemon blooms!
Have a happy week!
Dimi...
The flowers do bare a resemblance to lemon blooms Dimi - but this is a small shrub rather than a tree.
DeleteIt is indeed an early spring.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip
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DeleteIt is so perplexing I can't think of any plant that has so many characteristics of an oleander but looks like an orchid! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteThis plant is even stranger than that Sarah - you will see when I post the answer.
DeleteOh Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteI actually don't know a petunia from a pansy. I do on the other hand know what an Oleander is. We have a lot of them in Texas. I will be interested to hear what your flower is.
Dear Janey - there are over 100 species of this particular plant and I do know that some of them grow in Texas, but whether this particular one does, I am not sure.
DeleteNo clue whatsoever :-) Looks a bit like an orchid, but it has the leaves of an oleander.....
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely evening!
Madelief x
Thank you Madelief - answer tomorrow
DeleteI love a challenge!
ReplyDeleteIs it the Balloon Plant ? which explains why you aren't showing the seed pods ;-)
Gomphocarpus physocarpus
You scuttled in at the last minute Celia - I am very impressed - well done
DeleteIt was your reply to Helen saying it was from South Africa that gave me a pointer - I googled 'South African plants cream flowers five waxy petals' and found a related species, them searched for others with the same botanical name - when I spotted one with such distinct seed pods BINGO!
DeleteGood luck with trying to germinate the seeds.
Dear Celia and there was me thinking that you had an encyclopedic botanical knowledge. The other person who got it right also got his pointer from that comment too apparently.
DeleteHowever, well done for using your initiative. Do you think that I am too generous with my clues?