Whorlflower, Morina longifolia

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Morina longifolia

Morina longifolia, in flower November 2014.

This Autumn has been long, drawn out and very mild, which has allowed many garden flowers to continue growing and flowering later than usual. This will stop abruptly when we have our first frost, but until then it’s a pleasure to be out in the garden on a sunny day, admiring the last of the summer colour.

One plant that is flowering in our garden this November is the Whorlflower (a.k.a. Himalayan Whorlflower), Morina longifolia.

I bought a single plant from a lovely plant stall on Great Yarmouth Market back in April, when I was visiting the Aspire Centre. I’d heard of Morina but I had never seen it for sale, so I made an impulse purchase. I’m glad I did.

Morina longifolia starts off as a basal rosette of glossy, spiny leaves, rather like that of a Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense). On closer inspection, the leaves, which are evergreen, are more flexible and have a slight citrus smell when bruised. The smell is strongest in hot weather and barely noticeable at this time of year.

Once in flower, the plant is impossible to mistake for a thistle, with a delicate flower spike with whorls of tubular flowers. The flowers are white at first but soon become pink, darkening to crimson.  These are usually produced in June and July but our Morina started to flower in early October, probably taking its time to become established first – it has a long tap root which resents disturbance. The stem grows up to one metre (three feet) tall. The flowers are pollinated by moths and are also self-fertile. The change in flower colour occurs once pollination has taken place and is thought to be a signal to pollinating insects.

Until recently Morina was included in the family Morinaceae, but nowadays this is usually considered to be a sub-family, the Morinoideae, and is considered to be part of the family Caprifoliaceae, along with scabious, teazels and allies (sub-family Dipsacoideae, formerly the Dipsacaeae), honeysuckles (Caprifolioideae), valerians (Valerianoideae), Diervilla and Weigela (Diervilloideae) and Abelia and allies (Linnaeoideae). (Thistles are in the unrelated daisy family, the Asteraceae.)

Morina longifolia comes from the Himalaya, including parts of Pakistan, Kashmir and Bhutan, where it grows at 3000 – 4000 feet above sea level. In the UK it grows best in full sun in a rich, moist but well-drained soil (if such a thing exists). It is hardy to -17 degrees Celsius in ideal soil conditions but it may not survive in less cold but damp winters in heavier soils. Adding grit to the soil and providing shelter from drying winds will increase its chance of survival.

The plant is fairly short-lived and difficult to divide but it can be propagated by root cuttings (taken in November) or from seed, which should be sown immediately it is collected. Seedlings are best left in pots for a year before planting out. The plant can self-seed prolifically.

Morina longifolia does well in the west of England, south-west Scotland and Ireland but It also seems to grow well here in Norfolk, in the Mediterranean Garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage.

Morina longifolia

Morina longifolia at East Ruston Old Vicarage, July 2014.

Morina longifolia is used in Tibetan medicine, for the treatment of digestive disorders. It is also used to make incense, as a poultice for boils and in the cure of worm-infected wounds in animals. The plant contains a mixture of volatile compounds, including Beta-myrcene, bicyclogermacrene, germacrene D and limonene. Extracts from the plant have strong antioxidant activity.

Morina is named in honour of Rene Morin, a French nurseryman. In 1621 Catalogus plantarum horti Renati Morini, one of the earliest plant catalogues.

The Hob Green and Plant Lust websites have some more photographs of this lovely plant. The flower spikes can be cut for use in flower arrangements and also dry well.

Pheasant’s Tail Grass, Anemanthele lessoniana (a.k.a. Stipa arundinacea)

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In the last few years I’ve become increasingly interested in – and fond of – ornamental grasses, but I didn’t have much experience of growing them.

When Vanna and I designed the garden at the Belvedere Centre I decided I needed to know more, so I treated myself to the book Designing With Grasses by Neil Lucas of Knoll Gardens in Dorset. It was an excellent buy and it encouraged me to try several species of grasses, sedges and woodrushes in the garden, with great success.

One of the grasses I discovered at that time is now a firm favourite: Pheasant’s Tail Grass, Anemanthele lessoniana. It is also known by its previous scientific name, Stipa arundinacea. I grow it in my own garden (in the gravel garden near the house) and I have recommended it to others – my friend Jo now grows it in her front garden in Norwich and has become another fan. The RHS lists it in its Top 10 List of Autumn Grasses.

Anemanthele lessoniana

Anemanthele lessoniana, growing in our gravel garden.

Amenanthele lessoniana is a perennial, evergreen grass. It has arching, graceful narrow and leathery dark green leaves, which become bronzed and streaked, turning a beautiful orange-red (or copper-red or orange-gold) by the start of winter. Small, airy panicles of purple-green flowers appear in mid to late summer and hang almost to the ground. These become red-brown and the seeds that follow can attract seed-eating birds such as finches. The slightest breeze makes the plant move, adding extra interest to the garden. The plant forms clumps that eventually grow to about 120cm (four feet) wide; height is about a metre (three feet).

I’ve found Amenanthele lessoniana to be very adaptable, at least here in Norwich. At the Belvedere Centre the plant thrives in quite heavy clay in semi-shade and was happy enough to start self-seeding by its second year. In our own garden it grows in a fairly sunny spot in well-drained, sandy soil (through a mulch of landscape fabric covered in gravel) and in Jo’s garden it is in full sun in heavy soil. The RHS website says the plant can be grown in a south-, east- or west-facing site, whether sheltered or exposed and on sand, clay, chalk or loam soils. But waterlogged soils should be avoided and in colder areas, the plant may need to be protected and/or grown in well-drained soil. (The plant is hardy to -12 Celsius but it is a combination of cold and damp that often kills plants in winter.) In spring, I tease out any dead foliage by gently running my fingers through the grass. I don’t cut it back, though you can prune as low as about 15cm (six inches) from the ground. Don’t cut any lower, as this may kill it.

Amenanthele lessoniana comes from New Zealand, where it is found mainly on the eastern side of North and South Islands and is rare and declining. The name Pheasant’s Tail Grass comes from the resemblance between its autumn colours and those of pheasants’ tail feathers. (Not everyone is convinced of the resemblance, even if they like the grass. E.A. Bowles said: “The Pheasant’s Tail Grass as it is called – goodness knows why, as it is no more like a pheasant’s tail than a pig’s – is one of the most beautiful of all light grasses”.) Other names for Amenanthele include New Zealand Wind Grass or Gossamer Grass. The genus Anemanthele is monotypic – there is just the one species. Anemanthele means “windswept plume” and lessoniana is named after the French physician and botanist Pierre Adolphe Lesson (1805-1888).

Older plants can be divided from mid spring to early summer and tougher clumps can be sawn apart if necessary. Division will reinvigorate the plant. Self-sown plants can be dug up and moved and seeds collected from the plant can be sown in late winter indoors in a reasonably warm spot. I am grateful to the Seedaholic website for much of the information in this article; it gives much more detail on propagation and care. The Knoll Gardens website gives information on caring for this and other ornamental grasses.

Anemanthele looks good on a small or large scale. I have three plants, but why stop there? At the end of September we visited Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, where there is a whole maze of it. It looks great, though you need the space to do it. Today the garden is shut due to high winds as the remains of Hurricane Gonzalo sweep through Britain, but I bet the grass looks great as it sways in the wind.

Grass Maze

Grass maze at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens

Sticky Nightshade, Solanum sisymbriifolium

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Most of Norfolk’s arable fields are filled with a small and predictable set of crops: wheat, barley, sugar beet, potatoes and oilseed rape. Sometimes, however, a surprise awaits for the observant.

A few weeks ago my friend Sarah met up with some other friends for a walk at Stonebridge in Norfolk and noticed a strange crop growing in a large field by the side of the A1075. The plants had flowers like potatoes but the leaves were spiny and divided. She asked me if I knew what it was, and sent me a couple of photographs.

The mystery crop turned out to be Sticky Nightshade, Solanum sisymbriifolium. Around the same time I found the plant growing in Cambridge Botanic Garden and then last week Sarah drove me out to Stonebridge so I could take my own photographs.

Solanum sisymbriifolium

A field of Solanum sisymbriifolium at Stonebridge in Norfolk.

Sticky Nightshade, Solanum sisymbriifolium is a native of South America: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. It is a member of the family Solanaceae and its white flowers (with a hint of purple or blue) are very similar to those of the potato (also a Solanum). Later in life, fruits form, which look like small, bright red tomatoes. These form inside a husk, like the tomatillo, Physalis philadelphica. The plant is an annual herb or small shrub and grows about a metre tall. Its stems and leaves are very prickly, with orange-brown spines. The leaves are sticky, and the fruits are slightly sticky too. The English name Sticky Nightshade is very appropriate.

Solanum sisymbriifolium

Plants at Stonebridge, mid October

Solanum sisymbriifolium

In Cambridge Botanic Gardens, late September

Sticky Nightshade’s leaves are divided and the name sisymbriifolium refers to their resemblance to the leaves of the mustard genus Sisymbrium. (The commonest British species of Sisymbrium is Hedge Mustard, Sisymbrium officinale.)

Other names for the plant include Fire-and-Ice plant, Litchi Tomato, Morelle de Balbis and Dense-Thorned Bitter Apple. (Morelle de Balbis is named after Giambattista Balbis, an Italian botanist from Turin.) The Global Invasive Species Database lists synonyms for the scientific name and names in various languages. The Rob’s Plants website has some great photos of the plant.

This plant often grows as a weed and is quite a problem in parts of South Africa, and in cattle pastures in South America. So why is this plant being grown at Stonebridge?

Potato Cyst Nematodes (PCN) are a damaging pest of potatoes, causing damage to the roots and reducing yields, often with no symptoms above ground, although in severe attacks plants can be stunted and  have yellow leaves (chlorosis). Crop rotation and the use of partially resistant potato varieties can help to restrict the damage. (Read more on the DEFRA and Potato Council websites.)

Sticky Nightshade is grown as a trap crop for potato cyst nematodes. If Solanum sisymbriifolium is planted in a field infested with PCN, the nematode eggs hatch and the nematodes try to feed on the roots, but these are poisonous to the nematodes, which die. The nematode lifecycle is broken and an ordinary potato crop can be planted in the field. In the UK the plant is marketed as ‘DeCyst’ or ‘Foil-sis’ (reference).

(As an aside, research is also being carried out on the use of brassicas with high levels of glucosinolates to control potato cyst nematodes. When these crops, such as Indian mustard, are ploughed into the soil the glucosinolates break down into isothiocyanates, which are toxic to potato cyst nematodes.)

The fruit of Solanum sisymbriifolium is edible when ripe but apparently the taste isn’t great – You Grow Girl reckons the taste is insipid. The plant’s spines make picking a hazardous process.

Solanum sisymbriifolium contains the poisonous alkaloid solasodine. This can be used as a precursor to build other chemicals, such as steroidal compounds used in contraceptive pills. It may also be useful as an anticonvulsant.

Regardless of its various uses, there is no denying that Sticky Nightshade is a very pretty and fascinating plant in its own right.