what did my kids pick from the bottom of the garden?

[glimpse]

My daughter found this pretty little lady growing in the storm water drain at the bottom of the garden the area is overgrown with black-eyed susans but a few of these have found there way through...the ants and the neighbours dog seem to love the flowerssorry if the pics are a wee bit blurry but its my wives camera and its really bloody complicated ........If the answer is really obvious I apologise, but i did try googlatining the intermenet first and all this is quite a steep learning curve.

[Amazonian]

Its a dinosuar !

Do the leaves have a scent?

And your pics are OK

Edited August 30, 2012 by Amazonian

[glimpse]

no scent really

[Amazonian]

Hmm, cause it looks kinda minty hey.

Sorry... i have no clue.

[glimpse]

just went down and had a look and although most are pretty short (about 1 to 1 a 1/2 feet tall), the one with the kids flower was about 3 and a 1/2 feet tall.

Edited August 12, 2013 by glimpse

[quarterflesh]

lantana

[glimpse]

really??? isn't lantana a bush, these are just one stem growing straight up

probably should have mentioned that the photos were the tips of 2 plants....ooops

Edited August 30, 2012 by eatingsand

[Anodyne]

Lantana flowers grow in umbels, not spikes.

Looks like some kinda Lamiaceae, beyond that I got nothin'

[glimpse]

Looks like some kinda Lamiaceae, beyond that I got nothin'

 

so that could make it some sort of salvia??

[whitewind]

Looks more Acanthaceae to me. Never seen it before, it's quite pretty!

[glimpse]

the flowers were really beautiful before the neighbours dog got to it...they covered the whole spike, really quite stunning amongst all the clutter at the bottom of the garden

[Anodyne]

Looks more Acanthaceae to me. Never seen it before, it's quite pretty!

 

Good call - Nelsonia maybe?

[quarterflesh]

lol i have no idea i was just guessing

[Zaka]

Irie,

Stachytarpheta mutabilis ...mi tinks??

Respect,

Z

[Stillman]

That looks like it ZAka, I've never seen it before but they say its a n invasive pest in qld? Maybe a good butterfly attracter would definitely look good in the salvia patch.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Stillman

[Zaka]

Irie,

We use the S.Cayennensis locally, a poultice is made of this plant for curing wounds and sores, and, for inflammation, five or six leaves are boiled and the water drunk as a tisan.

Respect,

Z

Edited August 30, 2012 by Zaka

[whitewind]

Spot on Zaka! Is the tea for therapeutic purposes or for pleasure i.e. does it taste good and should eatingsand do a bioassay with the thought of possibly collecting the seeds for distribution? If it's not too weedy that is!