another unknown visitor

paradisi

20 years ago

this is another unknown plant that has decided to just grow in my garden.

any ideas on what it is? it's about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across

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Comments (9)

annie_____
20 years ago
Don't know but it's a weed.
Self-seeds everywhere and spreads and spreads and spreads.
Trouble is the mauve flower is pretty, isn't it?
alisonoz_gw
20 years ago
Yes I know it, too, but like Annie I don't know it's name. I thought it might be some sort of Ruellia.
Anyway Annie is correct on both counts, it's very pretty but it spreads, it also ground-layers and its as tough as all get-out to, er, get out.
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Liatris
20 years ago
Ruellia squarosa. Looks nice if kept clipped in a mound.
gardenlen
20 years ago
is it a wandering dew??? looks very similar to me can't check botanical name all books are packed.

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goldhills
20 years ago
It used to be sold in nurseries as "Little Boy Blue" but I can't remember its proper name. It may start with "S" but not sure. I'll have to go through my old gardening books.

I had a lot of trouble getting rid of it and then my little darlings gave me a pot of it for Mothers Day last year which they bought from a stall at school from donated plants. Aaagh, what do I do, after all they spent their hard earned pocket money on it? I had to use a lot of tact.
goldhills
20 years ago
Possibly a Streptocarpus but can't find a picture yet.
paradisi
Original Author
20 years ago
hi all

thanks for your thoughts and ideas

I think liatris has it right - ruellia squarosa - comes closest with the google pics.

goldhills - I have a blue boy or a little boy blue and the flower and shape of the plant is very different (unless your little boy blue is different to my little boy blue)

BTW goldhills and len - did you survive the storms last night? I heard gympie was battered pretty severely with lots of rooves off and trees knocked down. We had a lot of high wind and some good rain on this end of the sunshine coast (dicky beach) but nowhere near as bad as you northerners.
gardenlen
20 years ago
g'day paradisi,

not sure hey i am in brisbane presently, but as far as i can determine it only affected the south-south/easterns side of gympie through goomboorian and onto rainbow beach area.

len
goldhills
20 years ago
Paradisi, haven't had a chance to look up my books yet. I know the plant as Little Boy Blue because many years ago my mother bought one from a nursery and I took some pieces of it for my garden but this was about 15yrs ago.

Survived the storms ok, thanks. More info on Gardening in Oz forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gympie Storm