Hi there, I'd very much appreciate it if someone could help me in identifying this plant. A friend of mine lives in sweden and I visit her each summer, and over numerous years I've come to notice a plant that grows all around the lakes there. It's southern sweden, and the temperatures are similar to those in the UK, if a little colder in winter. This plant is a small shrub, coming up at its highest to hip height. It has small silvery green leaves in a roughly teardrop shape that are probably at a maximum length of the first thumb joint. The leaves are aromatic, especially when rubbed, and have a pleasant taste. They almost always grow right up at the edge of the lakes in very sparse soil, as often there's little more than a few inches of topsoil before it reaches rock. I'm sorry for the poor quality of the images, but I only had my phone with me last time I was over there.
Ditto to Bog-myrtle (note correct orthography) http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=1752
Coming from a country that's very liberal in it's use of hyphens it obviously makes sense to put it there, but I'm a little curious as to why it is correct? Would you also hyphenate bog asphodel? (Edit: Make that Bog asphodel.)
No, but I would rein in my misplacement of apostrophes. As for Bog-myrtle/Bog myrtle: from what I read, it appears that either name is viewed as acceptable. Michael, can you cite an authoritative source for the definitive spelling? As paion asks, why is it correct?
Hi, great midge / mosquito deterrent ..(I think an extract is commercialised in Scotland). I used to make a herbal tobacco with it (mixed with bogbean, Menyanthes trifoliata and other leaves I cannot remember)...much enjoyed by my smoking friends. ciao Brian
Because it isn't a species of myrtle Myrtus. Calling it Bog Myrtle would be a statement that it is a Myrtus species, which gives it an incorrect botanical placement. For the official standard list of English names of European plants, see the Botanical Society of the British Isles: http://www.bsbi.org.uk/BSBI2007.xls
It is the number of chromosomes the plant has. The diploid number is the usual cited, as two sets of chromosomes is what is present in each of the plant's cells. The haploid number (in this case, n=24) is found in the pollen and ovules only; these combine to make diploid cells in the seed. Some plants are polyploid, i.e., with more than two sets of chromosomes in the cells. They can be e.g. tetraploid (four sets), hexaploid (six sets), octaploid (eight sets), etc. Rarely, a plant may be triploid (three sets), but this would be sterile, as it can't divide its chromosomes equally (1½ sets doesn't work!!) in production of pollen or ovules. Triploid plants can arise when a diploid plant hybridises with a tetraploid plant, and they can persist through vegetative reproduction only.
Well, that was certainly interesting. I see it listed for every tree in Kuitert's Japanese Flowering Cherries. I was going to ask who uses that information, but I suppose it's people planning on creating hybrids. This Wikipedia article was informative: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_(biology). Is there any other reason to want to know the number of chromosomes? Does it say anything to someone not interested in creating hybrids?
It is a useful extra bit of information, which can e.g. help determine relationships between species and genera.
