After all these years, I decided I should learn the names of some of the plants I see all the time. This group I think I have identified, would like to have corrections where I got it wrong. I saw them all yesterday in a walk along Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Comments about status are from the http://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora/site. Lonicera involucrata, black twinberry. As in paired berries. What's with these three berries, which seemed to be the popular number? And lots of people photographed this with very showy red bracts. And these fruits are a little more oblong than in most photos. So maybe this isn't the right ID? At least all the little hairs on the leaf margins match the description. Here are two medics - edited - this one, I just posted as Medicago lupulina, even though the leaves don't look right, as they are not at all toothed on the margins, but it was the only species that seemed to be in the running with as many flowers on the inflorescence. Now I think it's Medicago polymorpha, and there aren't as many flowers in the inflorescence as I thought. The drawing still shows serrated leaf margins on the tips. Listed as Exotic. If someone would confirm the ID, I will replace the photos with correctly named ones. Edited, see below. It's neither of those. Lotus corniculatus. Here is Medicago sativa subsp. sativa. Common name is alfalfa? Listed as Exotic. Last photo shows fruits, very cute spiraled things. Solanum dulcamara, European bittersweet, clearly Exotic even in its common name.
So five leaflets, not three. I went back for more photos. That looks more convincing. I thought of Lotus at first, and how I'd never really identified anything as that, and then was looking at a book that didn't show that species and there was Medicago across the page that looked so similar and I forgot all about Lotus. I'm happy to have seen one now. And it still works for my subject line. Thanks, @Eric La Fountaine.
I started this thread with Lonicera involucrata, black twinberry. I saw the plant in this posting not at Lost Lagoon, but not far away, just on the other side of the bike/pedestrian tunnel under Georgia Street. I didn't know what this was, but I thought with the double flowers, it would be Lonicera, so looked up "lonicera yellow flowers" and got nothing at all that looked like this. Then I thought if I were naming things, this would get the name twinberry, so I looked that up, and of course there were lots of photos that looked just like this. Internet searching is so annoying, though it's better than not having it all. Anyway, I'm happy to learn what flowers go with those black berries. I didn't see any groups of three, a feature of the ones in the first posting.
I really like this shrub and have grown it for years. The flowers are so interesting. It tolerates dryness but would rather regular watering. I was shocked to read that it can grow to 16 feet! I'm going to have to relocate mine. That was an inspired guess to look up 'twinberry'. I agree that searching online can be frustrating and my favorite go-to site for native plant information, E-Flora BC, seems to be having a bit of trouble again; hopefully very temporary this time. Did you happen upon Paghat's Garden write up when you were checking? As usual, a rather quirky back story and description. Paghat's Garden: Lonicera involucrata var involucrata
Thanks, Margot. I had not seen that. Do you really have to relocate yours? It does say there that you should be able to "keep it restrained to the six-foot range without interfering with its natural beauty." Interesting that the photo used shows green bracts with the flowers. I don't think I saw any green bracts.
