Plant ID

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Plant ID

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sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 9:04 am Post subject: Plant ID
Please could someone tell me what this is? When you rub the leaves it smells lemony. Thanks. Last edited by sgt.colon on Tue May 15, 18 10:04 am; edited 1 time in total

cir3ngirl

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 4846
Location: Cirencester

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 9:54 am Post subject:
Verigated lemon mint by looks of it

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 10:06 am Post subject:
Thanks Cir3ngirl.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 10:08 am Post subject:
I take it, it's okay to eat?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 11:06 am Post subject:
Could also be variegated lemon balm. Both fine to eat, great for a cuppa

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 11:26 am Post subject:
Thanks Tahir.

lowri

Joined: 18 Oct 2006
Posts: 1322
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 3:36 pm Post subject:
Definitely variegated lemon balm. Lovely thing but if you only have one plant (like I did) it did get swamped, unusual for lemon balm (ordinary) which is positively invasive!

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 10:47 pm Post subject:
The non-variegated form is likely always going to be a bit sturdier (and more invasive). More chlorophyll per leaf = more energy

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Tue May 15, 18 11:36 pm Post subject:

Yellow plant pigment assists by sending energy to chlorophyll A for more efficient use of sunlight. This is why plants with yellow leaves are able to grow, and grow well.

It is white = absence of pigment that is a problem. Plants with white variegated leaves are slower in growth and there are no plants with pure white leaves. A recessive in corn / maize can create seedlings that lack chlorophyll. They germinate, grow while using nutrients in cotyledon, then die when no nutrient remains.

Plants with purple leaves have chlorophyll "hidden" by anthocyanin pigments. Some plants begin spring growth with reddish leaves (some astilbe, for example) to protect tender new growth from scorching.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed May 16, 18 12:24 am Post subject:

There are plants with pure white leaves, just none that can photosynthesize their own sugars.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is fairly classic example. It's just getting its sugars from a mycorrhizal fungus which is getting its sugars from a tree.

Redwoods can also support albino mutant off-shoots via root grafting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albino_redwood

Albinism in plants if interesting, as it can occur with different chlorophyll pigments, and in different layers of meristem that divide differently and may affect how the mutation gets expressed: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tisscult/Chimeras/chimeralec/chimeras.html

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Wed May 16, 18 12:51 am Post subject:

Yellow variegated plants grow quite well. Plants with white variegated leaves grow more slowly (hosta, anyone.)

Indian pipe is not self-supporting. It is, essentially, a parasite. Very difficult to propagate too.

Cultivating an albino offshoot of a redwood through root grafts is not how gardeners typically cultivate their plants. Seems more like "Look what I did!"

I find the tree with grafts of 40 different stone fruits to also be absurd. https://pix11.com/2015/07/26/syracuse-professor-creates-hybrid-tree-that-produces-40-types-of-fruit/

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Thu May 17, 18 12:33 pm Post subject:
Lemon balm tea anyone?

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Fri May 18, 18 1:55 pm Post subject:
Yes please, but no sugar, thank you, Frewen!

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