Jack Go To Bed At Noon
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWe have prediction of freezing rain, hope it misses us!
F|ingers crossed for you Lea!
DeleteWhat lovely photos with the frost and the light....
ReplyDeleteThanks Bridget :)
DeletePoor frosty flowers - I'm glad our daffodils are nowhere near flowering
ReplyDeleteIndeed - hopefully the frost will prevent the other buds from bursting until their proper allotted time!
DeleteFrosty flowers certainly make interesting pictures. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Flighty, though of course it means most of those blooming out of season are now doomed
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