Latest news with #rareplant
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rare 50-year-old plant finally flowers 20ft tall dominating Midland garden
A green-thumbed gardener was left gobsmacked when a rare plant she purchased 50 years ago finally bloomed, now towering over her house at an impressive 20ft (6m) tall. Hilary Chappin, 82, originally planted the agave in a small pot after buying it in London half a century ago when her daughter, now 52, was just a toddler. She housed it in a conservatory and has even relocated with it three times, eventually planting it outdoors when it outgrew its indoor space. Read more: Birmingham Airport incident live Now, Hilary has been rewarded with the stunning rare flower, which has shot up 20ft into the air and dominates her Midlands garden. She expressed her delight when she realised the plant, a member of the asparagus family, was about to bloom. Telford-based Hilary said: "I cannot tell you how excited I was when I realised it was going to happen; I was jumping up and down. "The first time I noticed any change to it was in April and since the middle of April it has grown 20ft tall." Over the years, she has taken great care of it, moving it indoors during the winter to shield it from the harsh British weather. When it eventually became too large to move inside, she resorted to covering it with a fleece to protect it from the cold. Hilary added: "I bought it when I lived in London 50 years ago and it was a little plant in a pot and it grew and it grew, and I re-potted it into a couple of pots. First we moved to Ironbridge and I had it there in a pot. "I used to bring it inside in winter because they are frost-tender. "So I looked after it, then when I came here it was so big I planted it in the garden. "Every winter for the last 23 years I have wrapped it in fleece to protect it from the frost, and suddenly this year it has sent up this flower spike."
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Conservation efforts spark revival of rare flower on the Island
A rare plant is making a strong comeback thanks to focused conservation efforts. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is celebrating the return of field cow-wheat (Melampyrum arvense) at St Lawrence Field Nature Reserve on the Isle of Wight. The plant, once widespread in southern England, has declined sharply due to habitat loss and changes in farming practices. Now found at just four UK sites, St Lawrence Field is the only location where the species is believed to have survived without reintroduction. Field cow-wheat (Image: Dominic Price) Emma Hunt, senior reserves officer for Wilder Wight and Solent at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "The display of flowers this year was absolutely incredible. "It's so great to see the field cow-wheat in such abundance here. "Field cow-wheat thriving at this scale is hugely encouraging. "This tiny but mighty reserve is proving how even the smallest spaces can have big impacts for biodiversity when managed sensitively." READ MORE: Wildlife trust backs campaign to ban bottom trawling near the Island The population survey, carried out by the trust in partnership with the Species Recovery Trust, highlights the success of targeted habitat management. This has included rotational cutting and careful scrub control to maintain the open, species-rich grassland the plant needs. Dominic Price, director of the Species Recovery Trust, said: "Field cow-wheat is not only a spectacular plant but is also now one of our rarest wild blooms, with this site now considered to be the only surviving native site. "So, to see it growing this well, especially in a year where many sites have been stricken by drought and high temperatures, is just amazing." St Lawrence Field Nature Reserve was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1993 to protect its population of the plant. Verity Foster, reserve officer (Isle of Wight), said: "This species is clinging on at just a handful of sites in the UK, and to witness such a strong recovery here fills me with hope." The trust encourages the public to support conservation efforts and explore nearby nature reserves.
CBS News
31-07-2025
- CBS News
Stinky Corpse Flower blooms at the Huntington Library, but not for long
A putrid-smelling, not-so-dainty flower bloomed overnight in San Marino. The Huntington Library's Corpse Flower bloom emits the stench of rotten meat, and it attracts the curious who want to see and smell the rare plant. Its scent has also been likened to stinky cheese or boiled cabbage, but the window of opportunity to take it in is very brief, as the bloom lasts for less than 24 hours once every few years. The short-lived Corpse Flower bloom size is part of the plant's lure, but Huntington Library Associate Curator Brandon Tam says it's really about the odor, which also attracts natural pollinators like flesh flies. "Everyone's nose is a little different. But no one forgets the smell once you have smelled it," he said. The plant grows from a large corm, a bulb-like tuber under the soil, and is native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia. It can grow to more than 8 feet high and 4 feet in diameter. There has been a Corpse Flower in bloom 28 times at the museum. The first one at the Huntington was in 1999, and it was historic as it was the first recorded bloom in California, according to Tam. He said very few botanical gardens had the plant at the time, so it was the Huntington's mission to conserve and share them. "One of our core responsibilities as a botanical garden is to share plants, propagating and distributing rare species to help ensure that they aren't lost," Tam said. In honor of one of the most famous paintings housed at the museum, "The Blue Boy," this year's bloom is named "The Green Boy." The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday.
