Re: Solvia?
Tim,
Maybe I can get something right.
Your plant would seem to be Soliva pterpsperma, known as the jo-jo weed
in South America, and also known as a troublesome weed in Australia,
California etc.
You will find it in Mabberley, The Plant Book.
Best wishes if you dont sow it.
Peter Lewis, Cambridge, UK.
Tim Longville wrote:
>
> This is hardly a Mediterrranean query in any strict sense but maybe
> somebody can help with it - perhaps one of our Aussie members or Nick
> Turland if he's listening.
>
> I've grown a plant which came to me as Solvia pterspernum (sic). It
> came as seed, the seed came, via a UK friend, from Australia, and the
> Australian friend who grew it there said that it was originally a S.
> American and he thought a Brazilian plant.
>
> I need to check out its name and I've got two problems.
>
> One, I can't find any info. even about the genus. Anybody able to
> help? It doesn't figure on the Tropicos database.
>
> Two, the species name doesn't seem to make sense, according to
> Stearn's Botanical Latin. What could -spernum mean? At the moment I'm
> working on the assumption that what I have is a series of
> transcription errors leading back to what was originally
> pter(o)sperM... (ie, with winged seeds) being thus distorted. Given
> Solvia as the genus name, though, wouldn't the termination be -spermA
> rather than spermUM?
>
> TIA to anyone who can rescue me from this teasing little puzzle.
>
> Tim
> Solway Coast UK
> mild moist cool, winter minima c. -3C
> but at the moment radiant autumn and everything thinking we're back in
> late spring/early summer - ceanothus and callistemon and clematis all
> reflowering...
>
> Tim Longville
