The Weedy Introduced Geraniums

I remember that, when I was little, I loved to look at springtime weeds-- especially the introduced annual Geraniums that are the subject of this post-- assigning my own common names to them and trying to find interesting variants. Among these Geraniums there's quite a diversity of leaf shapes, with the "Cutleaf" G. dissectum at one end, the staidly normal-geranium-looking G. pusillum in the middle, and G. molle rounding out the other end with its rotund leaves with little space between the lobes.

G. dissectum. Taller than its brethren, dissectum's flowers are some permutation of saturated carmine pink.

G. pusillum, in pale pink, approaching white.

Note that, as always, my IDs may be imperfect, and there are other introduced annual geranium species of wide distribution.

The flowers are what one would expect, small versions of the "civilized" varieties of cranesbill and the native perennial sorts. I suppose their size is an adaptation to the relatively ephemeral life cycle of these plants, facilitating speedy reproduction while requiring little energy expenditure. Their seed capsules have the classic cranesbill shape.

A blurb on Wikipedia-- without citation-- claims that G. carolinianum tolerates relatively alkaline soil conditions, which could very well be the case, given these plants' predilection to spring up among concrete rubble, gravel, and other limey substrates.

My affection for weeds crops up again-- they might be promiscuous aliens, but I think the introduced annual geraniums are charming.

Zonal Geranium 'Mrs. Quilter'

"Fancy-leaved" geraniums (Pelargoniums) were quite popular for bedding in Victorian gardens, so many of the fancy zonals grown today were bred/ discovered during the Nineteenth Century. One of the lesser-known cultivars is 'Mrs. Quilter.'

Striking leaves of 'Mrs. Quilter'

Nondescript pink flowers

The leaves feature prominent bronze-red zones on a chartreuse ground. The small flowers, like those of many other fancy pelargoniums, are not the focal point, and are a pretty but rather plain pink. The plant is not dwarf, and can become leggy, so for the bushiest plants rigorous pinching is required-- or the grower can regularly root new plants and discard the older shrubby ones.

According to the nursery Geraniaceae.com, 'Mrs. Quilter' was bred by Laing in the UK in 1860.

Kyuzo Murata's Rose Bonsai

Years ago I found a copy of Kyuzo Murata's (1902-1991) Four Seasons of Bonsai at a local library. I was delighted for several reasons:

• Murata used relatively unusual species for bonsai-- for instance, Virginia creeper, hydrangea, redbud, spiraea, and fothergilla. 
• He grew his plants in a very naturalistic style, with loose branching and a semi-wild look.
• The plants were often photographed in a garden setting where they grew normally, rather than in the polished confines of an exhibition hall.

Much of his work is a strong contrast against the multitude of tightly-wired, manicured juniper, pine, and maple bonsai. I've always had a predilection towards a more naturalistic style and Murata was perhaps the quintessential practitioner of this. 

His use of roses-- semi-woody plants not immediately suitable for traditional bonsai treatment-- is really magnificent. A photo of Murata's Rosa bracteata bonsai is widely circulated on the internet, seldom with attribution. The book also contained specimens of R. rugosa and R. wichurana, which are apparently not widespread across the net. These images are from a rather mediocre scan of the book:

Rosa bracteata. Growing roses in this manner requires years of diligent sucker removal-- the plant's natural tendency is to constantly replace the old woody growth with new basal shoots.

R. rugosa, for some reason called "Sweet briar," which usually refers to R. rubiginosa.

R. wichurana. Although there's a good grouping of woody trunks, the naturally spreading nature of wichurana is still evident. The plant is shown in fall, with its hips.

Two Solanaceae Weeds

For some reason I find the Solanaceae ("nightshade") weeds quite ornamental. Maybe it's just their strong resemblance to deliberately-cultivated plants, such as pepper, potato, and tomato, also in Solanaceae, that makes me look at them differently from other weeds.

Physalis peruviana, Peruvian Ground Cherry or Cape Gooseberry. First cultivated by the Inca for its edible fruit, it's now widespread globally both as a weed and an appreciated garden plant.

Solanum carolinense, Horse Nettle or Devil's Tomato. All parts are toxic due to the presence of solanine, which serves as a chemical pest defense.

Of course when we consider that the definition of "weed" is situational, and in home gardens quite subjective, maybe to me they aren't weeds! It'd be interesting to see if good cultivation and some pinching could make a passable ornamental plant out of horse nettle, for instance.

Leafy Sepals and Proliferation

The one 'Double Knock Out' seedling that I kept recently issued a new basal shoot, the blooms of which were quite leafy:

Large leafy sepals, each looking almost exactly like a normal terminal leaflet. The stamens have also proliferated into leafy structures.

These sepals are so leaf-like that they have both terminal and side leaflets. 

Underside, showing a very convincing petiole to the left.

Although at the moment I'm not sure what causes blooms to develop like this, I hope the trait proves to be stable. How novel it would be if this variety consistently made these little "boutonnieres," framing each flower with a cluster of basal "foliage" derived from the sepals.

Rose Hips, and Growing Roses from Seed

Rose hips have been ripe and full-colored for some time now. In the case of the species, hips represent roses' primary ecological contribution (food for wildlife), and in many other roses hips are an important part of the late-season display.

Ripe hip on R. carolina, on the Natchez Trace

Although they are seedy and not very fleshy, hips are edible; in World War II in Britain, the hips were gathered for use as a vitamin C supplement. There are also many recipes for rose hip jam. Some amateur breeders have expressed interesting in selecting for hips for human consumption, but as far as I know little has come of this effort-- so for edible fruits from Rosaceae we'll have to stick to such staples as cherry, apple, pear, strawberry, peach, plum, et. al.

Hip on R. spinosissima repens at the National Arboretum

As many roses hail from regions of the Northern Hemisphere with appreciable winter cold, the most common method for breaking the seed dormancy is stratification. Seeds can be left in the fridge for months, up to a year or two. Many will not germinate even when given this winter period, so pots of rose seeds should be kept for several years after sowing. The wearing off of natural germination inhibitors is also a factor.

Unripe hip on large flowered climber 'Stormy Weather,' at the National Cathedral Bishop's Garden

Conventional wisdom dictates that seed be collected when the hips are ripe, but in practice it is possible to have equally good germination rates if the seed is collected slightly early. Once I was able to raise seedlings of Rosa rubiginosa from hips that were completely green-- so if you are in a pinch, late-season hips that aren't visibly ripe can still yield seedlings.

Here is the method that has worked best for me:

1. Clean the seeds and wrap in a damp paper towels, wet with dilute Captan (fungicidal) solution; store in labeled ziploc bags
2. Refrigerate for six months before checking the bags for any germinations; remove and pot seedlings as they appear
3. Water the potted seedlings with dilute Captan

A major problem I've encountered is damping-off, with affects the base of the seedlings and causes them to rot. The fungicide Captan has proved to be an effective preventative. I have also read of a layer of perlite over the soil being used, as this reduces the moisture level around the seedling base where the fungus wreaks havoc. In my experience most commercial fine-texture seedling mixes work fine as long as they drain freely enough.

Seedlings from repeating parents can bloom very quickly after germinating.

Species or once-bloomer seedlings take years to grow before they bloom, but seedlings from reliably repeat-blooming parents bloom in the first year.

For the species, propagation via seed is preferred since each seedling will be genetically distinct. Seedlings of roses with complex pedigrees will usually be inferior to their parents and may exhibit significant visual differences-- the facet of mystery is what makes raising them so fun, even though the seedlings will likely only be of value to you.

Starting Out With Drosera

Drosera, or sundews, could very likely win a contest for the most Seussian plant. Whimsical leaves, often brightly pigmented in good light, with tendrils dripping with digestive dew, are the main attraction of this carnivorous genus. To get started with this group of plants, I chose the "easiest" species, D. capensis and D. spatulata, which can be grown in a tropical terrarium. 

Drosera spatulata, without dew at the moment

Since these two can hybridize freely, perhaps I can attempt a cross when they flower simultaneously. But for now I'll just work out the basics of sundew culture-- although I suspect there will be future additions!

Euphorbia's Morphological Bonanza

It has occurred to me that I have a tendency to rant on about how Rosa has such an impressive amount of diversity. But looking at morphology, most roses are really very similar-- generally all have compound leaves, prickled canes, and five-petalled flowers in a small range of colors.

In a greenhouse the other day, I saw two very distinct plants-- the common poinsettia, and the houseplant known as "crown of thorns." Well, admittedly, there are easily discernible commonalities between them-- but you get the picture. These vastly different plants are in the same genus, Euphorbia.

Yellow-flowered Euphorbia milii

The classically thorny shrub, fierce and exotic looking but quite easy to grow

Red-flowered Euphorbia milii

E. pulcherrima, the wild parent of ornamental poinsettias (photo credit).

The morphological diversity is especially evident once you include the succulent euphorbias.

E. squarrosa (photo credit)

E. globosa (photo credit)

E. frankiana (photo credit)

Some grow as rather large shrubs:

E. cotinifolia (photo credit)

Just mindlessly skimming over these photos, it doesn't look like the plants are at all related, but in fact each is the same genus-- a degree of morphological diversity that roses certainly can't compete with.