Magpie's Plant Discovery Challenge Extraordinaire

@WorriedMagpie

Hello Magpie!

I happen to live 3 blocks from Buenos Aires' Botanical Garden (6 blocks to the entrance).

These spectacular aquatic plants are relatively new to the Botanical Garden, were donated three years ago, and are doing very well. They have become some of the "stars" of the Garden.

They are native from the north of this country (Argentina), and neighboring countries in the same subtropical area. They live in sunny places, in calm freshwater lakes. Their leaves reach 2 meters in diameter.

Their name is "Irupé" (aboriginal name) or "Victoria Cruziana", part of the family of the "Giant Water Lilies".

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_cruziana

@HealingTalk

Thankyou so much for sharing wowzer these are some big lillypads!! These are incredible! They look big enough to sit on! - honestly id quite happily live out my days as a frog on these!🤣🐸

That must be amazing to live so close to something so beautiful I imagine if I lived there I'd never leave! 🍃 -- do you visit often?

I'm not surprised they've become so popular they're so cool! And 2 meters wowow the photo does not let on to how big they are:D

Thankyou so much for sharing these hefty guys💚 It would be awesome to see more plants from Argentina! I've never been there but it look beautiful in photos🥰 Can't wait to see what you share next 😁

And yes yes yes please for more really cool plant facts! 🌱🌿🌻💚🐦

@WorriedMagpie

Thank you!

Yes! They look perfect for frogs, jumping from one leave to the other...

I am very lucky to live near the Botanical Garden. I love it, as well as those of other cities in this and other countries. A crazy tourist that visits botanical gardens...

I do visit it often, as it's a big peaceful place with plenty of benches so you always find a nice spot.

Visiting Argentina is a good option as it's very very cheap to stay here nowadays for a foreigner, the food and nightlife are great, and there are many wonderful places to visit.

Thank you for your lovely and engaging post!

@HealingTalk

🐸🐸 Haha I am exactly the same! unfortunately don't have any local but whenever I'm close to one I have to go have a good gander!

I'm glad you have one so close, it does sound super peaceful to go and just sit on a bench and take it it 🥰

Ooooh just had a look at flights 🤣 bit expensive from here! (UK) but maybe one day! It's definitely on my bucket list 💚🐦

Aw thankyou! Just glad to share my love of all things leafy! And thankyou my friend for replying with such a cool plant and facts! I've never seen these before 🤯💚🐦

@WorriedMagpie

Yes, the flights to here are way expensive as we are so far.

Besides, there are lees fights now, as we can't almost travel abroad (planes go empty and come full). So airlines price high the few incoming seats.

The stay is super, super cheap.

So it only makes sense for a long stay.

And maybe checking airline prices frequently well in advance, to catch price drops.

@HealingTalk

Oh no that doesn't sound great :/ lots of tourists at least 😅

I've honestly not been abroad all that much myself, Argentina almost feels like a whole other planet away!

Maybe one day, I've always wanted to go travelling and spend a few months out! I'll have to ask you for recommendations if the day ever comes ! 💚🐦

@HealingTalk Oh wow! These are so cool! 😮

@mytwistedsoul

Thank you!

@HealingTalk You're welcome :) They must be so amazing to see in person

@WorriedMagpie This is a such a nice thread :) Until I read that it was a welsh poppy I thought it looked like a Grecian rose. Nice a nice yellow color

@mytwistedsoul

😁Thankyou- and thank YOU for being here 💚Hopefully it will be populated with awesome plants someday 💚🌿

Oooh it DOES look like a Grecian rose (just googled it) they actually look really similar in the flower 🤔 i wonder if they are related?

@WorriedMagpie Figured I should contribute a plant too lol

This is a Mullein plant. We call it a flannel plant. The leaves are so soft and the flowers smell like honey. They pop up wild here and have so many uses! https://www.ediblewildfood.com/mullein.aspx

@mytwistedsoul

How beautiful!

You are an erudite botanist!

@HealingTalk Thank you! I had to google that one lol 😁

@mytwistedsoul

Ha ha ha! 😀

@mytwistedsoul

Oh wow 😮💚 Thankyou so much for sharing! It looks so tall?

Oooh and it's edible? Have you tried it before, the link suggests it makes a good tea 🤔🍵

Are you into foraging? I'd love to do a foraging course one day 🌱💚

I've don't think I've seen one of these before, I'm in England - though it does look a bit like foxgloves that we have here, although the flowers are pretty different actually now I'm looking https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis

But if you find a foxglove about do not eat it! It's apparently poisonous 🤢🙅

Can't wait to see what else you find ! 💚🐦

@WorriedMagpie The one here is about 6ft tall. I haven't tried it but I might have too now just to see what it tastes like

I am into foraging tbh - I don't mess with mushrooms though. They're too chancy. The wrong kind and bad things can happen. But I know enough about other plants and berries here * the mountains of PA* Plus we grow alot of our own veggies

The foxgloves flowers are beautiful though! I don't think they're native here but I read that hummingbirds like them so we might have to grow some just for that reason 😀

@mytwistedsoul

@mytwistedsoul

:0 biig plant boi! Ooh yes, if you end up trying it come back and tell what you think ☺️🍵

That's awesome! All I know around me is the garlic mustard plant - which I've not had yet either 🤔 -- probably best to be wary on the mushroom 🍄 front! Had a great time mushroom hunting last year but I do not trust myself to pick any ! - just took a bunch of pretty photos!

Oh really! I've never seen a hummingbird not actually we get them here 🤔 but the bees love them! They sprout up early mid summer here :) I'd love to know if you have any luck with them next year 💚 Aaand they get about as tall as the flannel plant ! Proper triphids! 🌱🌱

@mytwistedsoul love it!

Listening - One Step At A Time!

@MistyMagic Thank you! 😃

🌿This is a great post @WorriedMagpie ! 🌿

One of the latest iPhone updates also has a great feature, if you take a photo of the plant, and then open it in the photo app, swipe up for details (with wifi connection) there is a new 'Look up Plant' feature which is amazing!

I will be back with a plant photo when I can work out how to attach an image haha 🌿

@Lou73

😁💚🐦 Thankyou so much!

Ooooh! That's awesome! I'll see if I can find a quick tutorial and add it to the post :) - never been an apple user! 🙃😂

Yaay looking forward to seeing what kind of leafy goodness you bring 😊💚🐦

Yaay plants! 🌱🌻🌿

You guys have been awesome so far! Can't wait to see what else appears in this thread 💚💚

So I thought I'd share a mystery today! (It's been like 40° here 🔥 so I've avoided the outdoors 😂)

This is one of my two orchids! Buuuut I have no idea what kind it is 🤔🤔

ooOoOOh mystery .. intrigue!!!!

The leave are kinda waxy feeling and it had pinkish small flowers at one point 🤔🌺

If any of you can ID it id be mega impressed and grateful and you would get allll the cookies 🍪🍪🍪so I can give it the right care! 🤞🤞💚

Big love 💚 magpie 🐦🐦

@WorriedMagpie I think it is a phalaenopsis !!

I love the lens app, never heard of it before, so thanks!

Listening - One Step At A Time!

@MistyMagic Oh wow! So pretty!

@MistyMagic

Aaaannd I totally forgot Google lens exists 🤣🤣

Thanks misty all the cookies for you I'm pretty sure that's right! 🍪🍪😁

I was always told orchids would be really difficult but honestly I've proper neglected both of them and they've done surprisingly well, I've had flowers every year and even an extra plant (the original did die though 😣)

How have you got on with them? ☺️🌱

@MistyMagic

Such a lovely photo. 🥰

You found a cat, but shh... don't tell where I am!

[Image consists of a black cat wearing a collar with an N]

Listening - One Step At A Time!

@MistyMagic Looks so dainty! I've never heard of these

@MistyMagic

Wow what a pretty little flower, yay misty the flower hero! 💚 definitely looks like a speedwell 🤔 online it suggests it's a creeper, have you got a plan for where you want it ?

How do you go about transplanting stuff like that? Just dig it up and repot at home ? :0 or do you use rooting powder? I'm not really sure when you use that stuff 🙃

🐦💚

Discovered these this morning

Wild raspberries https://foraging.sycamore.garden/plants/edible-wild-raspberries-blackberries

These were promptly nommed shortly after this picture lol

@mytwistedsoul

Wowow 😮 they look so tasty, seems like you picked them on the perfect day 💚

We get raspberries here too but these look nicer than ones I've found before! I hope you went back with a basket 😜 do you make much with your raspberries? - my auntie always does a really nice apple and raspberry crumble once we've been picking 👌👌

@mytwistedsoul

Apparently I didn't click the link! There's so much info on there :0 I had no idea raspberries/blackberries were part of the rose family 🤯

Actually makes total sense! The flowers on a wild rose look so similar to these! Ogohohoh I want to go foraging now😁 I never realised how many different ones there are that are edible ! Blown my tiny mind 🤯🤯

@WorriedMagpie I didn't know they were part of the rose family either until I read that! This thread had been an awesome way to learn more about plants! Thank you for doing this 😊

@mytwistedsoul

:D yay for learning new stuff! Honestly its been an absolute pleasure and super fun to boot ! thankyou for being a part of it :)

Frozen berries in your drink is definitely where its at over summer :D - oooh! do you do all the canning stuff and stuff? I've never done that but always wanted to try it, is there a lot of equipment involved or can you do it with just a pan of water ?

Also I must see pics of delicious baked goods :< if only to torment myself with the fact they are in canada and im not XD

:O Im super jelous of all you folks that are growing your own food, and any kind of peas :< - dont let my Lizard near them XD peas are her favourite !

@WorriedMagpie Some people can with a pressure cooker but tbh they make me nervous lol. So I just use a stock pot and water. Everything boils for however long the recipe calls for and then the vacuum seal happens when the jars cool. It just seems easier for me

@mytwistedsoul

So pretty!

This is Phalaenopsis Liu's Berry, it has lovely mildly scented small flowers, it is fairly new for me. I have bought it on the last plant order. The small flowers are beautiful.

And it did not upload the image 😶

[Picture added by MistyMagic]

https://ibb.co/R7sVK1B Follow-up link. Could not attach the image.