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Name That Plant!

What is this please?

10 years ago

This plant appeared near the garden gate, next to a concrete path. It grew very quickly and flowered before I became worried and cut it back as I couldn't identify it.
It had oval, pointed leaves, some had a reddish tinge on the underside. It was growing 8-10cm a day and the flowers appeared very low down and each had two sets of 5 dark red pendulous bracts covering purplish seeds with a white flower hanging below.
The stems were hollow and divided in approximately 10cm sections rather like bamboo.
I burnt it in small pieces. It sizzled and smelt like rhubarb. The stems popped with small explosions as they burned.
As it was growing so quickly, I was worried that it might be related to Japanese knotweed.

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Comments (6)

garystpaul
10 years ago
A scene from a sci-fi movie?
0
User
10 years ago
Leycesteria formosa
0
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TulsaRose
10 years ago
Leycesteria formosa 'Himalayan honeysuckle'

Great picture!

Here is a link that might be useful: Himalayan honeysuckle
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florauk
10 years ago
Leycesteria formosa, as others have said. Very common bird sown plant in the UK but nothing like JK as far as invasiveness is concerned. It will survive the winter semi evergreen but may look pretty ratty by spring. The berries smell of burnt caramel if you squash them.

Nice crop of aphids too.
0
Lindolucky
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you saltcedar for identifying this bird-sown plant so quickly and also to tulsarose for the link to RHS. To florauk, I'm afraid that my Lycesteria formosa probably won't survive the Winter; its tremendous rate of growth over the path next to my garden gate, together with my inability to identify it, meant that I "dealt with it" as though it were Japanese knotweed. I followed the Environment Agency's Code of Practice with as much emotional detachment as I could muster.

Here is a link that might be useful: Environment Agency - Japanese knotweed
0
florauk
10 years ago
If any of the berries dropped before you donned your hazmat suit you may yet find some offspring appearing next year. Plus wherever that one came from may yield more uninvited guests.
0

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