Plants in need of a second opinion!

[davidbr]

This clump of violets, photographed this morning on urban wasteland at the side of a lane, must surely be Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana... except the early date has put some doubts into my mind! The habitat seems totally wrong for Early Dog-violet (Viola reichenbachiana) - do people agree/disagree that it's V. riviniana?



These Pulmonarias were originally photographed as Common Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, but at the time they just didn't seem right and after checking photos online, they seem to much more closely match Bethlehem-sage (Pulmonaria saccharata), especially the pink flowers becoming blue with maturity. Or am I just seeing things - wishful thinking...?

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by davidbr

This clump of violets, photographed this morning on urban wasteland at the side of a lane, must surely be Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana... except the early date has put some doubts into my mind! The habitat seems totally wrong for Early Dog-violet (Viola reichenbachiana) - do people agree/disagree that it's V. riviniana?



These Pulmonarias were originally photographed as Common Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, but at the time they just didn't seem right and after checking photos online, they seem to much more closely match Bethlehem-sage (Pulmonaria saccharata), especially the pink flowers becoming blue with maturity. Or am I just seeing things - wishful thinking...?

1) looks like early dog violet to me because of the dark spur behind the flower. the common dog violet has a really pale yellow one.

2) Looks just like the common lungwort to me. the leaves and flowers look right anyway. I thought the flowers of common lungwort discoloured blue with age anyway

[leifus]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

1) looks like early dog violet to me because of the dark spur behind the flower. the common dog violet has a really pale yellow one.

2) Looks just like the common lungwort to me. the leaves and flowers look right anyway. I thought the flowers of common lungwort discoloured blue with age anyway

agreed

1 early dog

2 common lungwort

[Tiggrx]

The Violet looks like Common Dog-violet to me, Early Dog-violet has a much more slender spur. Spur colour of Common Dog-violet can either be creamish or purplish (f. nemorosa). There is also a possibility that it could be a hybrid.

The lungwort looks rather like Common Lungwort to me. Do you have a picture showing a basal leaf? In Pulmonaria saccharata the leaf gradually narrows into the stalk in P. officinalis it narrows very abruptly.

[davidbr]

Judging from its location, the violet was almost certainly a garden escape, but I don't know a lot about the Viola species & hybrids found in cultivation - I'd always assumed they'd be either V. odorata or V. riviniana?

Unfortunately I haven't got any different angles of the Pulmonaria; at the time I was in a bit of a hurry and, not thinking it was anything that unusual, focussed on the flowers

The site's not too far away, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to pay another visit over the coming days - since I've never seen P. saccharata except in photographs, what distinguishing features should I be looking out for?

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Unfortunately I haven't got any different angles of the Pulmonaria; at the time I was in a bit of a hurry and, not thinking it was anything that unusual, focussed on the flowers

The site's not too far away, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to pay another visit over the coming days - since I've never seen P. saccharata except in photographs, what distinguishing features should I be looking out for?

P. officinalis has basal leaves (ie. the ones growing from the ground) long stalked with a vaguely ace-of-spades shaped leaf. P. saccharata have leaves that gradually narrow into the stalk.

Another way to tell between them is to split a flower in half. Inside you should find a ring of hairs. In P. officinalis the flower tube is hairless inside below this ring of hairs in P. saccharata it is hairy.

Hope this helps