Unidentified wildflower - ? lily family

[pelargonium]

New to this forum. Hope I'm posting ok.

I would be grateful for any help with this. I was looking for the Dune Helleborine possibly in this woodland habitat. Don't think this fits though, but Lily family seems possible. I could only find this one, very tall spike. I think it is still in bud and will revisit to try and visit to catch it flowering. Habitat is deciduous woodland growing on heavy metal contaminated shingle close to the River Tyne. Globe flower and alpine penycress found close by but also some garden plants such as snowberry, and Dame's Violet and invasive riverside Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed along the river.
The three photos are of full plant, detail of flower spike and detail of lower leaves.

[diggleken]

Solomans seal looks like - and welcome to WAB!
Ken

[pelargonium]

Originally Posted by diggleken

Solomans seal looks like - and welcome to WAB!
Ken

Amazed at the speed of reply!

Soloman's-seal was the closest I could get but doesn't seem to fit. My book suggests hybrids between common (multiflorum) and angular (odoratum) are the common garden escape. Possible?

[davidbr]

It's definitely not solomon's-seal; that's a very different-looking plant. The commonest one is Polygonatum x hybridum, the hybrid between our two native species, but it still looks nothing like this.

I'm really not sure what this is; I'll have a look and see if I can come up with anything Possibly one of the helleborines?

[ceterach]

It looks like a rather stretched Martagon Lily Lilium martagon to me. 99.99% certain a garden escape.

[diggleken]

Ooops, sorry all, far too quick, its nothing like solomans except the flowerhead colour and shape when you dont look properly, like me..........................
helleborine maybe as David says, possible cross?
Ken

[pelargonium]

Originally Posted by davidbr

It's definitely not solomon's-seal;

I'm really not sure what this is; I'll have a look and see if I can come up with anything Possibly one of the helleborines?

Many thanks for the help. With a bit of research this afternoon, Dune helleborine (Epipactis dunensis) now looks likely. Seems there is a Tyne variant that grows in the location.

“Tyne Helleborine may be a separate species with 21 sites in the Tyne and South Tyne valleys, Carlisle, County Durham and northwest Yorkshire
Generally on zinc-rich spoil and flood sediments"
http://www.ieem.net/docs/08%20Janet%20Simpkin.pdf


Found this (great) photo on this (great) site:



Now I just can't wait for 'my' plant to come into flower

[ceterach]

Sorry, it is not Dune Helleborine. Notice the leaves on the main stem are whorled.

It is Lilium martagon or a closely related species.

All the best

[pelargonium]

Thanks, John. You are probably right. I have seen some photos of the immature flower spike that do look very similar including this one
File:Lilium martagon.jpg - Wikipedia
I'll keep visiting to see the flowers open.

[ceterach]

Originally Posted by pelargonium

Thanks, John. You are probably right. I have seen some photos of the immature flower spike that do look very similar including this one
File:Lilium martagon.jpg - Wikipedia
I'll keep visiting to see the flowers open.

I'll probably be eating my hat!