Magnolias in Fort Royal Gardens Bristol

Last week I decided that since I was going to be in the area that I would make a quick visit to the Fort Royal Gardens. I knew that I would have missed the fine display of crocuses and some of the earlier Spring flowers but hope that the Magnolias at least would still be in bloom.

Magnolia cylindrica in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

As you can see, I was not disappointed. As I came down the footpath from Fort Royal House I spied the blooms of one of the two Magnolias through a window of vegetation. Then, instead of continuing down the path I went left up a path that had previously been cordoned off, which led to an overlook of the small enclosure below the curtain wall that runs along one length of the enclosure that the two Magnolias are found. There I had a great view of the smaller Magnolia and a Cherry tree with white blooms which was on the street outside of the Gardens themselves. I'd never seen the Cherry tree because when you are inside the Gardens the boundary walls are too high and you have to walk through the small rear door / gate to see it.

Magnolia stellata in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

Last year in March I saw two Baba Mama Martenitsa Dolls hanging from its branches. I did not see any this time. Either the person or people who hung them up there last time were no longer in Bristol or the dolls had been taken down already. If you want to know more about them click on the link to my previous post on them.

Magnolia stellata in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

Here (below) is the bigger tree although in truth it is not that much bigger although its flowers certainly are much bigger.

Magnolia cylindrica in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

The ground below the bigger Magnolia was already strewn with fallen petals so I am glad I did not leave it too late to visit the gardens because I might have missed them altogether. I think that they will still be in bloom for another few weeks given that there were still a lot of flower buds developing. But, the thing about Magnolias is that when they are in bloom, they are worth visiting over and over again. That is unless you are lucky and have one in your garden or in a neighbors garden, which you can admire.
In Brussels there is one right across the street. There is also another one which is in a garden adjacent to Tillens Block. I have seen several other Magnolias throughout Bristol and hope that I will be able to take photos of the to show you the different colours and shapes.

Flowers of Magnolia cylindrica in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

The thing with some flowers is that sometimes even after their petals fall off or they dry up, they still somehow manage to look beautiful and or intriguing. If you want to see more Magnolias, scroll down to the Labels (on the right hand side) and look for Magnolia. That should take you to all the current posts that have Magnolias in them.

Close up of flower that has lost all its petals. Magnolia cylindrica in Fort Royal Gardens, Bristol, England

From what I have been able to find on line it appears that the smaller tree is a Magnolia stellata (although it might be a Magnolia x loebneri "Leonard Messel" AGM, which is a hybrid of Magnolia stellata and Magnolia Kobus which was created by Max Löbner.
The other one looks like Magnolia cylindrica although I'm not sure anymore after seeing other photos that show different looking flowers and fruit (which I never saw on this tree). However, it the flowers look a lot like the ones on the Missouri Botanical gardens website so i am going to assume that this is correct and that I just have never seen the fruit. Also it is a species in threat of extinction and listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. this is due to habitat loss in the Huang-Shan mountain range in Anhui Province, China.

Binomial Name: Magnolia cylindrica

Common names: Huang-Shan Magnolia (English);


Binomial Name: Magnolia stellata
Common names: Star Magnolia (English); Magnolia étoilé (French); Magnolia estrellada (Spanish); Stern-Magnolie (German); Magnolia stellata (Italian)

 

 Binomial Name: Magnolia kobus
Common names: Kobushi Magnolia (English); Magnolia de Kobé (French); Magnolia kobus, Magnolia del Norte del Japón (Spanish); Kobushi-Magnolien (German); Magnolia stellata (Italian)

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Superdivision: Embryophytea – 
Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants, tracheophytes

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida – Diocotyledons

Superorder: Magnolianae –

Order: Magnoliales –

Family: Magnoliaceae – 

Genus: Magnolia – 

Species: Magnolia 

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [April 16 2015], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:

Books:

• 
  

On-line sources:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System: Entry for Magnolia
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System: Entry for Magnoliaceae
• United States Department of Agriculture: Entry for
• The Plant List: Entry for
• University of Tennessee Herbarium Entry for
  
• Royal Horticultural Society Article: Magnolia
• Royal Horticultural Society Article: Magnolia campbelii Survey 2015
• Royal Horticultural Society Article: Magnolia x leobneri "Leonard Messel"
• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Magnolia stellata
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Entry for Magnolia cylindrica
• Floridata Entry for Magnolia stellata
• Dave's Garden Entry for
• Wikipedia: Entry for Magnoliales
• Wikipedia: Entry for Magnoliaceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for Magnolia
• Wikipedia: Entry for Magnolia stellata
• Wikipedia: Entry for Magnolia kobus
• Top Tropicals: Entry for Tropical Magnolias
• Top Tropicals: Entry for Magnolia stellata
• Top Tropicals:Entry for Magnolia cylindrica

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/

· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Carnivorous plants: Dionaea muscipula, the Venus flytrap

Among carnivorous plants the Venus Fly Trap, Dionaea muscipula is perhaps one that most people are familiar with, with its hinged leaves and serrated fang-like leaf edges. In a way those tooth-like edges give it a truly carnivorous look although all they do is serve to prevent prey from escaping and thus act more like prison bars than teeth.

 

I had one of these a few years ago and out of concern that it had not caught any flies I occasionally fed it morsels of minced meat and the occasional mealy worm, which did not seem to do any harm although I suspect my axolotl was not too happy with me feeding the Venus Fly Trap its dinner.

Additional Information:

Scientific Name: Dionaea muscipula

Common names: Venus flytrap (English);  (French); S (German); (Spanish);

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Caryophyllanae –

Order: Caryophyllales –

Family: Droseraceae –

Genus: Dionaea – 

Species: Dionaea muscipula – 

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for
• Official Website of the: Bristol University Botanical Gardens
• Missouri Botanical gardens: Entry for 
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for 
• Seedaholic: Entry for Dionaea muscipula
• Wikipedia: Entry for Venus Flytrap
• Wikipedia: Entry for  Dionaea
• Wikipedia: Entry for Droseraceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Carnivrous Plants: Pinguicula moranensis

Pinguicula moranensis commonly known as Butterwort is a carnivorous plants which is native to Mexico and Guatemala. It succulent leaves are covered in pednucular (stalked) mucilaginous (sticky) glands which help it to attract and trap arthropods (invertebrate animals with exoskeletons) which it then digests with the sesile (flat) glands. The pednucular glands secrete a sticky substance which appears like droplets of water on the leaf. When an arthropod (mainly insects) touched the pednucular gland it releases more of the sticky substance and when the insect struggles to free itself it triggers other nearby glands to release more until it is encased in it.

Pinguicula moranensis in the Bristol University Botanical Gardens Greenhouses

The leaf can bend itself slightly through thigmotropism to bring more glands into contact with the prey. Once the prey is entrapped the sesile glands release digestive enzymes which to digest the prey breaking down the digestible parts of its body into liquids which are then reabsorbed by the leaf through cuticular holes leaving only the chitin exoskeleton behind.

The etymology of the genus name Pinguicula comes from the Latin pinguis which mean fat because of the buttery texture of the leaves while the specific name moranensis refers to its type location, Mina de Moran in the Sierra de Pachuca. This is where the three botanists Humbolt, Bonpland and Kunth collected specimens of the plant during an expedition in early 1800s. However, in 1999 a Mexican botanist S. Zamudio collected specimens in the same area and noted that the plants he had collected did not share the original description given by Humbolt, Bonpland and Kunt
Further investigation based on the travels of the earlier expedition led Zamudio to conclude that the plants collected by Humbolt, Bonpland and Kunt were most likely from an area called "El Puente de la Madre de Dios" in the Mexican state of Higaldo. He confirmed this by finding matching specimens of the plants in that area.
So it appears that due to some mix up these plants were misnamed. In the end Zamudio published his findings as a variation of  Pinguicula moranensis under the name Pinguicula moranensis var. neovolcanica.


Additional Information:

Scientific Name: Pinguicula moranensis

Common names: Butterwort (English); grassette de Moran (French); fleischfressende Pflanze (German); Violeta de barranca (Spanish);

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Asteranae –

Order: Lamiales –

Family: Lentibulariaceae – bladderworts

Genus: Pinguicula – 

Species: Pinguicula moranensis –

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Pinguicula moranensis
• Official Website of the: Bristol University Botanical Gardens 
• World of Pinguicula: Entry for Pinguicula moranensis var. neovolcanica
• World of Pingicula: Pinguicula Distribution, Growth Habit by Dr. Laurent Legendre
• Missouri Botanical gardens: Entry for Pinguicula moranensis
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for Pinguicula moranensis
• Seedaholic: Entry for Pinguicula moranensis
• Wikipedia: Entry for Pinguicula
• Wikipedia: Entry for Lentibulariaceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for  Lamiales
• Wikipedia: Entry for Anthropod

Additional resources:

•  Galleria Carnivora:
• Barry Rice: Carnivorous Plant Publications

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Senecio elegans

While on a recent visit to the Bristol University Botanical Gardens I came across these in the greenhouse. My closest guess was that they had to be from the family Asteraceae also known as the Aster Family. I'm not sure if I'm getting better at identifying plants or if members of this family are so obvious. Luckily they had a little sign which proved me correct once I'd gotten back and looked Senecio elegans up.

Senecio elegans at the Bristol University Botanical Gardens

Senecio elegans is native to southern Africa. They also exist in purple, red, and pink. Unfortunately the only ones I saw were all yellow. However, I am sure I have probably come across some of the other colours. I will keep my eyes open so I can get some photos and do a post showing them all for comparative purposes.

Senecio elegans at the Bristol University Botanical Gardens

Senecio elegans at the Bristol University Botanical Gardens

Additional Information:

Scientific Name: Senecio elegans

Common names: wild cineraria, (English); name (French); name (German); name (Spanish);

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Asteranae –

Order: Asterales –

Family: Asteraceae –

Genus: Senecio – 

Species: Senecio elegans –

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

http://www.herbiguide.com.au/Descriptions/hg_Hollyleaved_Senecio.htm

http://www.exotic-plants.de/seeds/succulents/Senecio-elegans.php

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Sencio elegans L.
• Official Website of the: Bristol University Botanical Gardens
• Missouri Botanical gardens: Entry for Sencio elegans L.
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for  Sencio elegans L.
• Flora Database the Western Australian Flora: Entry for Sencio elegans L.
• PlantZAfrica.com: Entry for Sencio elegans L.
• Seedaholic: Entry for Sencio elegans L.
• Wikipedia: Entry for Asterids
• Wikipedia: Entry for Asterales
• Wikipedia: Entry for Asteraceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for Senecioneae
• Wikipedia: Entry for Senecio
• Wikipedia: Entry for Scenecio elegans

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Hibiscus trionum

While on another visit to the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens I stumbled across this beauty which at first glance reminded me of a hibiscus. Sure enough it proved to be another species: Hibiscus trionum.

Hibiscus trionum at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Hibiscus trionum at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Hibiscus trionum at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Additional Information:

Scientific Name: Hibiscus trionum

Common names: flower-of-the-hour, flower of the hour, bladder ketima, bladder weed, rose mallow, Venice mallow, shoofly, modesty,Black-eyed Susan (English); Ketmie d'Afrique, Fluer d'une heure (French); Stundenblaume, Einjähriger Stundeneibisch oder Stundenröslein, Stunden-Roseneibisch (German); flor-de-todos-as-horas (Spanish);

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Rosanae –

Order: Malvaeales –

Family: Malvaceae –mallows, mauves

Genus: Hibiscus – rose mallow

Species: Hibiscus trionum –

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Hibiscus trionum
• Official Website of the: Bristol University Botanical Gardens
• Missouri Botanical gardens: Entry for Hibiscus trionum
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for Hibiscus trionum
• Seedaholic: Entry for Hibiscus trionum 'Simply Love'
• Wikipedia: Entry for Hibiscus trionum
• Wikipedia: Entry for Hibiscus
• Wikipedia: Entry for Malvaceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for Malvales

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Dwarf Water lily at Bristol University Botanical Gardens

I revisited the Bristol University Botanical Gardens in the hopes of getting a photo of the Datura that I forgot to photograph last time I was there. Unfortunately I could not find it but was informed that in any case the flowers had gone to seed.
On the other hand I did get to see these lovely Miniature Water lilies. I had some miniature ones in Australia when I was up in Townsville. I had them in my goldfish bowl. Those were minuscule compared to these.

Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Scientific Name: Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'

Common names: Minature Water lily, Hardy Water lily (English) ;

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Nymphaeanae –

Order: Nypmhaeales –

Family: Nymphaceae – Water lilies (English)

Genus: Nymphaea – 

Species: Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola' – Minature Water lily,Hardy Water lily (English);

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'
• Official Website of the: Bristol University Botanical Gardens
• Missouri Botanical gardens: Entry for Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for Nymphaea
• Wikipedia: Entry for Water Lilies
• Wikipedia: Entry for Nymphaeaceae

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Nymphaea - Water Lilies at the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

One of the things that I really liked about the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens were the water lilies. There are two water features. The first and biggest it the big pond near the entrance and the second is a raised concrete pond near the Mediterranean plants.

It is not difficult to understand Monet's fascination for water lilies. There is just something about water lilies that just captivates people. Maybe it is the combination of the stunning colours and delicate beauty together with the way most of the time they are out of reach so the only way to appreciate them is to stand as close to the water edge as possible and devour them with your eyes.

Add caption

Genus Name: Nymphaea

Common names: Water lilies (English) ;

Taxonomic hierarchy: 

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae – Green plants

Infrakingdom: Streptophyta – Land plants

Division: Tracheophyta – Vascular plants

Subdivision: Spermatophytina – Spermatophytes (seed plants)

Infradivision: Angiospermae – Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –

Superorder: Nymphaeanae –

Order: Nypmhaeales –

Family: Nymphaceae – Water lilies (English)

Genus: Nymphaea – 

Species: Nymphaea alba – European White Water lily, White Water lily (English)

Species: Nymphaea odorata  – American Water lily, American White Water lily, WhiteWater lily (English)
Species: Nymphaea mexicana – Yellow Water lily, Banana Water lily (English)

Notes: 

• I am using the taxonomical classification system used by ITIS (Intergrated Taxonomic Information System). I have decided to use this system in order to avoid confusion as well as because it offers a comprehensive hierarchy from kingdom right through to subspecies whereas other sources only go as far as order or  provide the names of some of the higher taxonomical ranks but only indicate "unclassified" rather than providing the rank.
• When and where possible I will endeavour to include alternatives classifications although  I may limit this to occasions where an opportunity arises to discuss the reason for the different classifications.
• Taxonomical data used in this post was retrieved [June 15 2014], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.

References:


On-line sources:

• Royal Horticultural Society: Entry for Water lilies
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database: Entry for Nymphaea
• Wikipedia: Entry for Water Lilies
• Wikipedia: Entry for Nymphaeaceae
• Wikipedia: Entry for Water Lilies
•  

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Roadside Tulips in Bristol

The Fort Royal Gardens is not the only place where you can find flowers. Nor do you have to look look in unusual places, although you may miss out on some gems if you don't keep your eyes peeled or at least be aware of your surroundings in terms of plants. However, there are lots of other places in plain sight where you will be able to see some very striking floral displays.

Traffic Islands are one of those areas that make excellent locations although I am not sure how many people actually stop and admire them. In any case they are there slap bang in the middle of some of the business streets for everyone to see and appreciate if they take the time to do so.

One of the largest flower beds can be seen on Queens Road in Front of the Victoria Rooms which houses the University of Bristol's Music department and sits at the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road.

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Gerberas

I was on my way home when I saw these Gerbera being sold in a street flower stall and decided to get some so I could get some photos of them for the blog as well as just to practice taking photos with different backgrounds. I'll be covering them in a later blog post and use some of the photos in my Plant Family and Plant Order posts.

Orange Gerbera on Black Background

Pink Gerbera on Orange background

Pink Gerbera on Yellow background

Pink Gerbera on green background

As you probably guessed I found it fascinating how the background colour had an impact on the flower's colour.

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/
· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/
· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/