Yellow Snowflake: Nymphoides geminata- pond plant

Last fall I got this small plant with floating leaves  and small yellow flowers. It spreads asexually with stolons near the water surface. It also was winter hardy Zone 8-10 as it overwintered in the pond.  This one was supplied to a plant store by a local company here in Victoria, Applied Aquatics.

2015-07-20smallyellolily
Yellow snowflake Nymphoides geminata

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Menyanthaceae
Genus: Nymphoides
Species: geminata

Pond Lily identity a confusion-Schizostylis or Hesperantha ?

2011-09-03 17.44.08
Schizostylis coccinea or Hesperantha coccinea

For several years now I have been growing a very successful and  attractive lily in the pond which I originally bought from a local plant store as a reddish-orange kaffir Lily,  Schizostylis coccinea. 

2015-july1pinkkaffirlily
Hesperantha coccinea a pink variety from the red-flowered parents.

The interesting thing is that it reproduces from seeds very well –and last year a pale pink variety came from a seedling. I kept these plants in the same pot and overwintered in the greenhouse. Normally the red flowers appear in August, but when I set it back in the pond in March, after continuing to bloom most of the winter, it flowered again for a month. Then in early June the pink-flowered plant came into bloom and is still flowering in July.   All the other “scarlet river lilies” (see political correctness comment below”)  that were left in the pond over winter will bloom again in late summer.

A number of interesting points come up when researching this plant:

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The pink version came out in bloom again in early August , 2015

1. The “pink” variety I have does not correspond to either of the pink varieties mentioned in this reference .  “Schizostylis coccinea ‘Mrs Hegarty’ was named by Sir Frederick Moore, the Director of Glasnevin Botanic Garden, after the lady who discovered a chance pink seedling in her garden in County Galway in 1914. She was persuaded to show her plant at the RHS show in London in 1919. It was immediately successful and was given an Award of Merit. Schizostylis coccinea ‘Mrs Hegarty’ has deep rose-pink flowers and yellow anthers and has been rather superceded by the cultivar ‘Sunrise’ which is also pink. Schizostylis coccinea ‘Viscountess Byng’ has pale pink petals and the anthers are purple brown. This cultivar is later flowering and is named after the dedicated rock gardener of the 1920’s. Her flower beds were sometimes temporarily covered in water.”
Reference: St. Andrews Botanic Garden Flower of the Month”However the anthers of the pink variety I have are pink!

2. A Scientific name change: Schizostylis  spp. came to be seen as distinct from Hesperantha  spp. whereas in almost every detail, Schizostylis is identical to Hesperantha. Most Hesperantha species have pink flowers, while Schizostylis is bright red. Since forms of Schizostylis with pink flowers are found in cultivation and in the wild, however, that doesn’t seem to count for much. The final proof is  that Schizostylis and Hesperantha is the DNA data, which confirms that the two genera cannot be separated.

3. Political Correctness has influenced the common name . For years it was known as the Kaffir Lily. As the Ken Thompson points out in this 2012 Telegraph article:
“–Kaffir is an offensive term for black South Africans. I suspect no one outside South Africa is likely to consider “kaffir lily” a racial slur, but nevertheless I sense a campaign is afoot to find something less offensive. Crimson flag lily, Cape lily and river lily, or scarlet river lily, all appear to be in circulation. ”

Reference Botanical Identity crisis solved

The Drakensberg mountains in South Africa are  where most of these lilies come from.
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Hesperantha
Species: H. coccinea
Binomial name Hesperantha coccinea (Backh. & Harv.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

 

 

Western tiger swallowtails (Papilio rutulus) abundant this week.

I can’t recall seeing so many Tiger swallowtails around the yard in other years as we are seeing this year.
Our non-invasive but introduced butterfly bush Bidulphia sp. is particularly attractive to them.

tigswalltail
Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

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  • Of particular interest is the backward flying mating dance– one individual 25 cm above and ahead of the other… Several times I have watched these displays go on for up to 10 minutes.
  • The other interesting observation was the speed which they insert the proboscis into florets repetitively. You can see that by clicking on the following short video clip:
    • The only competition for nectar appears to be the Anna’s Hummingbird.
      hummingbirdsilou

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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species: P. rutulus

Papilio rutulus Lucas, 1852

Ocean Spray in flower : June 13 -Phenology

2015-06-21 ocsprayOne of the latest blooming native shrubs on the farm is the Ocean Spray. These bushes can be up to 10 metres in height.

 

 

 

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Holodiscus
Species: H. discolor[1]

Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.

ocspray
Ocean Spray in the pasture

Mock Orange –phenology 2015

Several small clumps of Mock orange survive in the roundabout in the laneway. It was transplanted here from Hornby Island.
2015-06-04 mockorange
Kingdom Plantae –
Subkingdom Viridiplantae
Infrakingdom Streptophyta – land plants
Superdivision Embryophyta
Division Tracheophyta – vascular plants,
Subdivision Spermatophytina
Class Magnoliopsida
Superorder Asteranae
Order Cornales
Family Hydrangeaceae –
Genus Philadelphus L. –, mock orange
Species Philadelphus lewisii Pursh – Lewis’ mock orange

Parasite of Garry Oak- Cynipid Gall wasp : Disholcaspis spp.

Each year I find some branches of the younger Garry Oak trees that I have planted on the farm to have these small brown pillbox-like galls of an insect parasite . Usually the branch will die in the following year. I am attempting to get it identified. Also the branches of the trees these are found on often have deep scratches as if a bird was trying to get under the bark?? I think that leads to the weakening of the branch.  I have saved one top leader of a Garry Oak  tree like this by coating  the damaged section with grafting paste.

oakparasite2-1024x907
Galls produced by a cynipid gall wasp Disholcaspis spp

Margot Moser of Nanoose bay, suggested that these galls are  likely made by the Honey gall wasp  Disholcaspis eldoradensis. A light colored, cylindrical (8mm in diameter), flat-topped gall caused by a cynipid gall wasp.

I am not so sure and a look at the reference on California Oak Galls by Joyce Gross made me think it may even be Disholcaspis chrysolepidis

Phylum Arthropoda – Arthropods
Subphylum Hexapoda – Hexapods
Class Insecta – Insects
Order Hymenoptera – Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Superfamily Cynipoidea
Family Cynipidae – Gall Wasps
Tribe Cynipini
Genus Disholcaspis
Species ?? Gall Wasp