Sunday, May 22, 2011

What is this plant?

Can anyone help identify this plant?  It's appeared in a very shady spot in the garden, and I have no recollection at all of planting anything there.  It's about 9" tall (23cm)


The flower has 5 parts to the "trumpet" part and a yellow throat.


 The flower is trumpet shaped, and the petals unfurled from inside of the trumpet.  The buds are trumpet like too and have a sort of star shaped button at the end.


It has no noticeable scent and the leaves are quite fleshy and distorted (although the distortion might be from lack of water and being nibbled by something as it was emerging!).


Any ideas?  Anyone?

While I was contemplating the plant, and skimming duckweed off my pond earlier (for my neighbour's ducks to eat!) this lovely damselfly came to visit.  I'm pretty sure it's a male Common Blue, but common or not, it's very beautiful.

8 comments:

Julie said...

We were out at a local widlflower farm yesterday and saw one of these beautiful damselflies. They are amazing! I think your plant may be a streptocarpus or something in that family. The leaf is unusual in that it's 'toothy' as opposed to a solid shape but I'm no expert.

Iz said...

Is it some sort of nightshade? Looks suspicious and possibly poisonous!

Celia Hart said...

Oh yes, had to look that one up once as we had the pink version in a previous garden... I'll remember it soon and get back to you.

I love it when the damselflies and dragonflies come out!

Celia

Celia Hart said...

Hi, I'm back...
it's a Hardy Gloxinia or Chinese Trumpet, botanical name: Incarvillea delavayi.

C

Celia Hart said...

Here's a link

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plant-detail/PL00003407/2887/incarvillea

I love identifying plants!
C

Su said...

Thank you Celia, that's it. I know where to come if I need further identification now!

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness Celia was able to help, I knew what it was but couldn't call the name of it to mind. That happens more and more nowadays.

Emma said...

Glad people knew what that was, I didn't but I love the roses below - my Glauca is just starting to show now.