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Hi All,

I'm usually quite good at keeping track of my plants but I have absolutely no idea what this one is! It's rather small, so I think I must've purchased it last Spring or even more likely at the end of Summer as a 9cm pot plant, but I just cannot locate it in my email records! Leaves are sort of peculiarly serrated, I took a close-up from one of the photos to hopefully convey what its leaf edges look like a little better, but the photos aren't very good in the first place. Knowing me, it's something butterfly or at least pollinator-friendly, but what?

Thanks,

Nick

 

Reminds me of Kalanchoe leaves.

 

Yes, I thought Kalanchoe or a sedum myself Vicky, but I certainly haven't bought the former and only have spectabile of the latter and another ground cover one with tiny leaves. I can't imagine what I'd grow that is hardy and would have such pinkish stems!

Thanks anyway...

Nick

 

I thought of but counted out Sedum Nick because typically they are more rosette formed . I will keep thinking and will be interested to know the outcome.

 

Might it be Bergenia?

 

Thanks very much @Silver surfer, I can certainly see why you'd think bergenia as the leaves are quite similar to some of them, but I thought I got rid of mine a while back, which was this cultivar...

Bergenia 'Angel Kiss (Dragonfly Series)' - elephant's ears Pink Ice

But bergenias are always more clump-like even when young IME, this is almost like leaves coming off a couple of stems! Certainly the best guess so far, I think!

Ah, I just had a thought! It couldn't be Eryngium alpinum (a sort of dwarf species), could it? It's green in Summer but seems quite pinkish at the moment and the fact that it's such an atypical leaf shape for an eryngium could be what's throwing me. (?) I've only seen it last Summer, so earlier Spring growth might be different?

Nick

 

Have a look at Eryngium alpinum leaves - Recherche Google

 

Thanks Nigel, I think it must be an alpinum because I can't possibly imagine what else it might be at this stage! The seedlings in that photo definitely look quite pinkish/purplish like my plant. The leaf stalks look longer on it, but that may well be due to growing in different light conditions, I suppose.

Nick

 

Err ...excuse me !!!
Did you look at the leaf stalk of Eryngium alpinum... it is long and thin.see google links
Mystery plant has short, stubby, very fat stalks.
I have trimmed your pic ..see below

File:Eryngium alpinum - GBA Viote 05.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Photo of the leaves of Alpine Sea Holly (Eryngium alpinum 'Blue Star')

eryngium alpinum leaf - Recherche Google

 

Yes I did indeed, mentioned it in the post above yours, SS.

That's the bit that I can't make sense of, if it's the eryngium why are the stalks so different in length?

Nick

 

OK .
Sorry but it cannot possibly be Eryngium alpinum.
Because the stalks of that are are long and thin.
Light /growing conditions do not change that.

While mystery plant has fat, short leaf stalks...which remind me of young Bergenia plants.
see 2nd pic in link....Leaf colour is red cos it is winter.
But time will tell.

Bergenia Dragonfly® Series | Verschoor Horticulture

 

Hi there
Have you tried using the picture this app to identify the plant?
As a renter I've used it quite a few times to help with mystery plants when I've moved to a new house with no idea what previous tenants have planted.

 

Thank you for the tip, but even if those things weren't flawed I think it would take all the fun and learning out of the identification process for me. A plant enthusiast using an identification app seems a bit like a crossword enthusiast buying a book with all the words filled in!

A warm welcome to the forum, @VeggieNovice!



Nick

 

Sometimes they get it spot on.
Other times the answers given are so wildly inaccurate as to make it completely useless.
I tried it just for fun to see how good it was...but was not impressed.

I would love to know what app says for this plant.

 

I think the apps are goodish only if you have good knowledge anyway, otherwise you're being given an answer you don't know is right or wrong, as an example I have had 100s of seeds popping up in the garden that seem the same so I potted one up and put it in the greenhouse, I've taken a photo and put it on my app and here is the result.


So cucumber is the first answer with 23%, I've never grown cucumber but i grew borage last year so i know for sure it's borage but that only comes in on 15% so you would probably dismiss it if haven't grown either. So if you post a photo in
the id section of the forum you percentage of getting a correct identification increases to about 99.9% plus they're all wonderful people