ID mystery plant

Sigh! Is it really that obscure?

HB ==

not good enough to show.

Where is this mystery plant located? What did the flowers look like? (Tubular, some number of petals, etc.) This would help to pin down a family for the mystery plant.

Front of house. North facing.

No flowers yet. Tbis and similar ones have been in the garden for over a year, but this is the first time the one in front is setting seed.

What did the flowers look like?

Don't know. None as yet.

Grateful for reply, but have no other info. Hope picture was clear?

HB

I am glad we got that cleared up. Just as well it wasn't down the back, round the corner, past the oak tree behind the outhouse or we would have had no chance of identifying it.

If you participate in rec.gardens regularly, you would know that Higgs Boson is in southern California, in the Los Angeles basin not far from the ocean.

Setting seeds before flowering? I don't think so. Either those are flower buds, or else the flowers already bloomed but were not noticeable.

I didn't recall and obviously nor did Pat who asked the question. As for the other few hundred who might reply who knows.

Well, Mr. Ross reminded me you are in California. Should have made my question more clear.

I'm more familiar with the weeds, wild flowers and garden thugs of the upper mid-west and northeast, none of which your plant bring to mind.

If it has seeds it must have had flowers. Either you didn't notice them or they were insignificant.

!!! Of course you're right about sequence of flowers and seeds, but I rema in baffled. I often looked at that plant, trying to figure it out, so any flowers must have been REALLY "insignificant".

(This brings up an unrelated question which I hope to research as time perm its: Which plants have large,showy flowers and -- down the scale -- small insign ificant ones. What survival needs do each kind serve? Climate dependant, no doubt, but what else. Are there anomalies? Which, and why? Etc. Many q uestions. If anyone already has references, would be appreciated.)

Guess I'll take a picture up to nabe (neighbor) nursery & see if anybody re cognizes it. I do plan to plant some of the seeds & see what happens.

Any other garden group youse guys could recommend? Might as well spread the net wider.

TIA

HB

On 3/26/2014 12:56 PM, Higgs Boson wrote [in part]:

Your photo shows the plant in a pot. Unless the pot is too heavy to move, I suggest you take the live plant to your nearby nursery.

Sorry -- I seem to have misunderstood your question. Usually people ask "what is your zone" or similar question. I am in Southern California coastal.

Thank you.

HB

Way too heavy. Will have to rely on photo; also take in a small cutting.

HB

Well, yes, flowers may be hard to spot. Grass seed-heads are actually clusters of "flowers" and if you look at the right time you can see the stamens pretty easily and the stigmas if you look closely.

Among broad-leafed plants, the flowers for members of the Goosefoot and Buckwheat families are not much to look at either, and might be mistaken for seeds right from the start. Some plants produce self-pollinated "cleistogamous" flowers which do not have petals and never open. (Curiously enough, some of our most colorful garden plants such as Violas and Impatiens may produce cleistogamous flowers, especially when they are growing under stressful conditions.)

appreciated.)

Wind pollinated plants do not need showy flowers. They just need to stick their flowers out where they can catch the wind.

Cleistogamous flowers use less energy to produce seeds and are "good bets" for plants that growing under hostile conditions or where pollinators are unavailable.

Showy* flowers are generally pollinated by animals (insects, birds, bats and sometimes other small mammals).

BEAUTIFUL! I sit at your feet.

Reference: Medieval students sat at the master's feet outside under the trees.

(Matter of fact that's how Wall Street started as well )

Leaving in your whole message -- so informative that later readers may profit.

HB

Mystery solved. Took picture and leaf to nursery. Jose only needed leaf to ID it on his computer.

KALANCHOE PINNATA

Sounds like a fascinating, appaarently rare-ish plant. Many Web sites, some referring to its medicinal properties.

Thanks to all for your interest and cooperation.

HB