Erigeron sumatrensis 蘇門白酒草、野茼蒿

 Common name: Guernsey Fleabane

Scientific name: Erigeron sumatrensis 蘇門白酒草、野茼蒿 *

Genus: Erigeron 飛蓬屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: It was formerly named Conza sumatrensis 蘇門白酒草, belonged to Conza 假蓬屬、白酒草屬. It is also recorded in Hong Kong as an exotic plant. '茼蒿' is pronounced as '朣 hou1' in Cantonese.

Origin: Neophyte (established after 1500 AD). I It is a native of South America. It was first recorded in 1961 and was found naturalized in 1974.

Date: 4th Aug

[051] Annual or biennial herbs, 50-100 cm tall.

[052] Stem erect.

[041] Middle and upper leaves subentire or shallowly toothed.

[042] Middle and upper leaves gradually smaller upward, lanceolate to linear.

[043] All leaves pubescent on both surfaces.

[044] Note the hairy stem and lower surface of the leaves.

[043_1] Lower surface of the leaf.

[044_1] Forward hairs on leaf margin.

[046] Leaves in lower part oblanceolate or lanceolate, 5–15 × 0.5–2.5 cm, base attenuate 漸狹, apex acute, margin coarsely toothed or subentire.

[027] A pair of stipules at the base of the leaf. 

[029] Stems hirsute‑pubescent 粗毛兼被短柔毛的 throughout.

[029_1] Cropped photo above to show clearly the hairs.

[048] Stems hirsute‑pubescent 粗毛兼被短柔毛的 throughout. (Lower stem)

[048_1] Cropped photo above to show clearly the hairs.

[047] Basal leaves withered at flowering period. (Basal stem)

[047_1] Cropped photo above to show clearly the hairs.

[049] Capitula 頭狀花序 arranged in large panicle 圓錐花序.

[063]

[032] Flower buds.

[038]

[032_1] Flower buds.

[038_1] Flower heads (capitula 頭狀花序) 5-8 mm across,  ray florets with brownish petals, involucral bracts densely hairy.

(vs flower heads 3-5 mm across, white petals of the ray florets, involucral bracts glabrous in Erigeron canadensis 小蓬草、加拿大蓬、飛蓬、小飛蓬, Canadian Fleabane)

(vs flower heads 7-11 mm across, flower head clearly red tipped, involucral bracts hairy in Erigeron bonariensis 香絲草、野茼蒿、美洲假蓬、野地黃菊、蓑衣草、消息草, Argentine fleabane)

(vs flower heads 3-5 mm across, flower head with tendency to purple tips, involucral bracts with few hairs in Erigeron floribunda 多花飛蓬、多花飛蓮, Bilbao fleabane) 

[038_2] Heads 5-8 mm across, involucral bracts densely hairy

[014]

[056]

[014_1] Note there are 5 petals on disc florets. Ray florets pistillate 雌花的、具雌蕊的 and disk florets hermaphrodite.

[056_1] Note there are 5 petals on disc florets.(need to hold it in order to photo it clearly)

(vs 4-5 petals on disc florets in Erigeron canadensis 小蓬草、加拿大蓬、飛蓬、小飛蓬, Canadian Fleabane) 

(vs 5 petals on disc florets in Erigeron bonariensis 香絲草、野茼蒿、美洲假蓬、野地黃菊、蓑衣草、消息草, Argentine fleabane and Erigeron floribunda 多花飛蓬、多花飛蓮, Bilbao fleabane) 

[001] A possible pollinator -- a hoverfly belonged to Sphaerophoria 細腹食蚜蠅屬 spp, possibly a female Sphaerophoria scripta 短翅細腹食蚜蠅.

Epilobium brunnescens

Common name: New Zealand Willowherb

Scientific name: Epilobium brunnescens 
Genus: Epilobium 柳葉菜屬
Family: Onagraceae 柳葉菜科, willowherb or evening primrose family

Origin: Neophyte (established after 1500 AD). It is a native of New Zealand. It was first recorded as a garden weed in 1904 in Edinburgh.

Remarks: 

Date: 23rd July

[078] Flowering plants in the rock crevices.

[051] Prostrate, creeping along a wet vertical boulder. Matted 纏結成塊的, creeping herb forming patches up to 2 m across. More or less glabrous perennial, can grow up to 20 cm, rooting at nodes.  

[2050] A lot of very long flower stalks.

[053] Many short flower stalks could be seen in this plant.

[043_1] Leaves 3-7mm, orbicular, more or less entire, smooth above. (Lamina of leaf narrowly ovate to broadly ovate or broadly elliptic, 0.15–1.3 × 0.15–1.2 cm.)

[042_1] Stems with well-marked lines of strigillose hairs running down from margins of petioles, very rarely glabrous. Note where the flower stalk arises.

[042_2] Photo cropped above, showing the strigillose hairs 微硬伏毛 along the stem.

[046_1] Plant with a flower stalk (with a flower bud) just protruded.

[045] Flowers solitary, erect, attached by long, slender flower stalks.

[039]

[039_1] Photo cropped above. Note where the flower stalk arises from the leaf axil.

[049_1] The flower bud.

[037_1]  Floral tube 0.6–1.6 mm deep, glabrate 隨年齡增長而變為無毛的 or hairy. Sepals are narrow.

[036_1] Flower still not open in the morning.

[2075_1]  It bloom finally in another locatation in the afternoon. Petals white, (2.3)–3.2–7 × 1.8–5 mm, notched, crossed by a few greyish veins. 

[2076_1] Flower 3-4 mm across. (Flowers are around 8 mm across.)

[2076_2]  The eight stamens (1-4: four shorter stamens of inner whorl; 5-8: four longer stamens of outer whorl) have short white filaments and pale yellow anthers. The stigma is club-shaped, above a pinkish style. Sepals are narrow, their tips just visible from above in the gaps between the petals.

Capsule glabrate or sparsely hairy along lines of dehiscence, 1.5–6.1 cm long; fruiting pedicel (1)–3.5–8–(12) cm long (not seen at this moment).

Empetrum nigrum ssp nigrum 岩高蘭

Common name: Crowberry
Scientific name: Empetrum nigrum ssp nigrum 岩高蘭
Genus:  Empetrum 岩高蘭屬
Family: Ericaceae 杜鵑花科, heath or heather family

Origin:  native

Date:  22nd May 7th June

[358] Low evergreen, heather-like shrub, can grow up to 45cm. Stems prostrate, rooting (could not be seen above) vs stems more or less erect, not rooting in Empetrum nigrum ssp hermaphroditum.

[362] Reddish brown stem.

[356]

[356_1]

[356_2] Leaves alternate, entire, with revolute margins. Short petiole. Leaves 3-4 times as long as broad vs leaves 2-3 times as long as broad in Empetrum nigrum ssp hermaphroditum.

[018_2]  ( took on 7th June)

[360] Leaves with revolute margins.

[366]

[357_1]

[357_2] Male flowers as anthers could be seen.

[368] Female flower.

[018_1] ( took on 7th June)

[019]  ( took on 7th June) Black berry-like drupe.

[020]  ( took on 7th June)

[364] Side view of the berry showing the remaining sepals.