Seed capsules can be eye catching.
Take these seed capsules on a stalk.
The capsules are much more intriguing than the seeds themselves, which look, quite frankly, a bit like mouse droppings.
Do you recognize what plant this seed is from? If you choose to, please leave a comment with your ideas.
(New mystery seeds and Seed of the Week answers are posted on Tuesdays.)
Our mystery seeds from last week are from a plant in the morning glory family. They are from the cardinal climber, Ipomea x multifida.
The cardinal climber is an annual vine named for its beautiful bright red flowers. With color like this, you just know they are hummingbird favorites.
The leaves have deep lobes that give them a lacy, almost fern-like appearance. Ours seemed to be a bit confused by the Arizona weather, and began flowering in the fall. In cooler climes they bloom in the summer and fall.
The cardinal climber is a human-created plant. It is a cross between the scarlet creeper (Ipomoea hederifolia) and cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit).
Interestingly, most species of morning glories in the genus Ipomoea are prohibited in Arizona as noxious weeds (see list), but cardinal climber is not (#33). It can be invasive in certain areas, so check before you grow it. I also read that the seeds can be poisonous if swallowed.
Have you ever grown cardinal creeper? What did you think of it?
Sometimes the package is more interesting than what is inside.
Take the seed pod for our mystery plant this week. Isn’t that fascinating?
Inside the pod is quite an intricate structure, as well. The black, lumpy seeds? Not so much.
Do you recognize what plant this seed is from? If you choose to, please leave a comment with your ideas.
(New mystery seeds and Seed of the Week answers are posted on Tuesdays.)
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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