It may only be one flower and one seed head but the flowers are slightly different. The first one is squat and compact and the second, extermely similar, is tall and slender. The flowers are probably Gentiana but I'm not sure which one and the seedhead is probably a Heracleum. And, are these images good enough for botanical stock photography. If not, why not? Thanks Charles Lupica http://www.cwlupica.com
I am not entirely sure I know what you mean, but I think it would depend on who was using the photos. The first image for example, is beautiful and would nicely illustrate the plant for a catalog. Who wouldn't want such a beautiful flower for their garden. If images of the plant were needed for a text book however, I would note that while you can clearly see the stamens, the female flower parts are not clearly visible.
Thanks all, It certainly does look like a Gentianella and I think that is close enough. I had hoped I could pin point the Heracleum a little more closely. Charlie
Can you get a photo of the leaves (if they're not too dead!) and the whole plant? The common native species in Switzerland (and Europe as a whole) is Heracleum sphondylium, but H. mantegazzianum is also fairly frequent as an invasive alien. The former typically grows 1-2m tall with a main stem 1-2cm diameter, the latter typically 2-4m tall with a main stem 4-6cm diameter. The only other species in Switzerland is H. austriacum, which is rare.
