Years ago I ran a mystery plant challenge on my old blog. I would post pictures one week, then correctly identify them the next. One of our best statewide gardeners, Ann Wood, rarely missed a plant, and if she did, she was crushed. I thought it might be fun to reinvent the game. We should all test our plant knowledge and maybe learn some new plants along the way. I will post pictures through facebook (I am thinking 3-5 a week) and people can guess there. Then once a week in this blog newsletter, I will post the correct answers along with some extra information on the plants. If you have some plants you want added in the mix, you can email me pictures through jcarson@arkansasonline.com
Here is the first line-up of mystery plants. Kudos to Ann W., Dianne P, Susan CG, Janie H., and Ketha B., for correctly identifying the plants this week.
Brazen Hussy is the variety of this dark foliaged perennial native to Europe.
The Latin name used to be Ranunculus ficaria, but it has now had a Latin name change to Ficaria verna. Common names include Lesser Celandine, Pilewort, Fig Buttercup, or Fig-Crowfoot. It is a spring ephemeral—here today, gone tomorrow. By May, you won’t even know this plant was in your garden until it appears again next spring. The foliage is almost black in color which really highlights the bright yellow flowers. The green leafed variety can be more aggressive than this dark-foliaged one, but keep your eye on it anyway. Once it is happy, it may pop up in other areas. The plant is deer resistant. It will grow in full sun to partial shade.
The second mystery plant is a native, Physocarpus opulifolius or Ninebark.
This one has bright yellow foliage and the variety is Lemon Candy. Sorry, this was not a great picture, but several gardeners guessed it right off. The plant is just emerging this spring. It keeps the yellow/chartreuse foliage all summer. This deciduous shrub can grow in full sun to partial shade, but would probably be happiest in some afternoon shade by July and August. It is a cane-producing plant with multiple stems. Small clusters of white flowers appear in late spring which butterflies and bees adore.
Ninebark plants come in many options, from green foliaged forms, to red, dark red, orange and yellow foliaged forms.
It is a great plant for Arkansas gardens.
The third mystery plant is Asystasia gangetica, commonly called Chinese violet, creeping foxglove or Ganges primrose. It is native to South Africa.
It was being grown as a low growing ground cover in the shade in Costa Rica when I was there in February. They come with solid green leaves or this white veined form, which has is named 'You’re so Vein'. Love the name!
It is a year-round bloomer in the tropics, but would be a summer annual for us, for the shade. It is available on-line, but wait for it to warm up before you plant it. There is a picture on-line credited for Bustani Plant Farm in Oklahoma, but I can’t find it on his website.
And last but not least is this unusual fruit.
Annona muricate is the Latin name of this large tropical fruit. While soursop is the most common name for it, in Costa Rica it goes by the name guanabana. When I was in Cambodia, the fruit was called custard apple. The fruit in this picture was about the size of a football. Native to Mexico, Central and South America, it is common throughout Costa Rica. The fruit on the inside is a creamy white with large black seeds. It has the same consistency to me as a ripe pawpaw, only a tad slimier. It is very sweet with a sour aftertaste. I don’t care for the fruit raw, but I think it is more a texture thing. We had it several times as a drink for lunch.
So now you know! Mysteries are solved.