ICELAND FLOWER ID: Myvatn

Hi All,

I took these photos near Myvatn in the northeast of Iceland two years ago. They were taken in July. The photo titled "Blom_red_5" depicts a somewhat conical bud that may have passed already - I'm not really sure.

I'm putting together a photo album of these flowers for my girlfriend's birthday and although I've been able to identify many other flowers I photographed there, these two (as well as another I posted) have escaped my search. Does anyone have a possible ID on these flowers?

Thanks in advance!

carnahanman

 

First one might be a Clematis.

 

Thanks Tipularia - I'm far from an expert in botany, so maybe I'm not finding a match between my photo and what you're suggesting simply because I'm not familiar. I can't find any images online that look like my photo under the "clematis" type. They all seem to have the large petals of buttercups - do you think this might be one that's passed already into its seed head? There also seem to be around 300 species of clematis - is there any way you could be more specific?

No ideas on the second photo? There were many of these growing in a field of arctic poppies. The stalks were thick and sturdy and the blossoms were actually extremely small pink flowers that were aggregated among ruddy reddish buds.

Thanks again for replying!

 

Yes, the plant is already forming its seed head. It may be a Clematis or another species from the buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family. There are several genera that produce this kind of plumed seed heads (e.g. Pulsatilla species). Would be easier to identify if there was a photograph showing the leaves as well.

 

Thanks Axel! I think that's it - pulsatilla alpina subsp. alpicola. Photos I've seen online look very close. I'll have to check back home to see if the original un-cropped photo shows the leaves or not so a positive ID.

Did you have any ideas for what the other flower might be?

Thanks!

 

Either Rumex acetosa or Rumex acetosella for the other.

 

Thanks, Daniel! Looks like Common Sorrel.

You guys rock - took less than 24 hrs to get answers on all three of these flowers! Thanks for taking the time to reply!

 

Re: photo #1, I just came across Mark Egger's photo of Geum triflorum that reminded me of your photo. I'm not sure about all the sepals underneath, whether they're anything like that on your plant.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_egger_castilleja/7548202896/in/set-72157627167770702

 

Wow - looks awfully close!

There are more photos of these "prairie smokes" online that show a concentric pattern of growth with the strands like the one I photographed as well. I haven't been able to confirm if they're found in Iceland though as of yet.

Definitely thanks for the heads up!

 

No Geum triflorum in Iceland. A Pulsatilla is far more likely.

 

OK - thanks for the clarification, Daniel!

 

To my uneducated (in things botanical) eye the resemblance to Geum is so close that it should not be ignored, especially that the pictures of Pulsatilla seed heads I could see on the Net don't match the carnahanman picture that well.
Carnahanman doesn't write in what kind of environment (in the garden, in the wild) he took the picture. Is it not possible that someone planted Geum triflorum there? The Iceland climate would easily allow it to grow there.

 

No Pulsatilla in Iceland either (I didn't check that before). Perhaps Dryas octopetala then, known as Holtasóley, Hárbrúða, Rjúpnalauf . Another photo here: Hárbrúður.

 

Wow - you nailed it Daniel - after looking at my un-cropped image against other images, the leaves match.

I can't convey how impressed I am with the members of this forum - this has been great!

Thanks to everyone that replied -

 

By the way - how is it that you found the names in Icelandic?

 

The leaves would have helped ID it much sooner.

Plants of Iceland has Icelandic and English vernacular names as well as scientific names.