#nutlets

Awkward Botanical Sketches #4: Boise Goathead Fest Edition

Covid-19 be damned, Boise Goathead Festis happening in 2020. However, since we’re in the middle of a pandemic and the number of infections in Idaho have been far greater than we’d like them to be, this beloved, summertime event (now in its third year) is going to look quite a bit different this time around. No giant bicycle parade snaking through downtown Boise, no big gathering in the park to…

How to Identify Puncture Vine (a.k.a. the Goathead Monster)

This post originally appeared on Idaho Botanical Garden’s blog. With the first annual Boise Goathead Festfast approaching, the purpose of this post is to help people in the Treasure Valley identify goatheads so that they can collect them for drink tokens to use at the event. I’m reposting it here in hopes that people around the globe who are tormented by goatheads might benefit from it. All…

Bells of Ireland

Shellflower/Molucca Balmis

(unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Moluccella Species: M. laevis

Native Range: Turkey, Syria and the Caucasus

Height: 60-90cm

Spread: 23cm

Bloom Description: Summer blooming

Life-cycle: Annual

Sun: Full-sun

Water: Moist, well-drained soil

Maintenance:

Suggested Use: Ornamental/ Dried flowers

Flower: Purple/pink flowers in pale green calyxes 

Fruit: Nutlets

Tolerates:

Noteworthy Characterisics:

Problems:

Pineapple Sage

Tangerine Sage

(unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Salvia Species: S. elegans

Native Range: Mexico & Guatemala

Height: 1.2-1.5m

Spread: 1m

Bloom Description: Late Autumn blooming

Life-cycle: Perennial

Sun: Full-sun

Water: Well-drained

Maintenance: May need protection from frost, and dividing in the spring or fall. 

Suggested Use: Culinary, Edible, Ornamental, Fragrant foliage, Spreading

Flower: Thin red flowers on long inflorescences 

Fruit: Nutlets

Tolerates: Some drought

Noteworthy Characterisics: Attracts hummingbirds/butterflies

Problems: