Beauty Bush,Asiatic Dayflower, Willow Oak, Late Boneset (Mid-September 2017)

There is an unidentified plant around the 920 area of Rolandvue with striking bluish-purple berries.  In response to numerous requests we are including a photo.  It is more in the area of gardening than in  wild plants but probably Beauty Bush ,Kolkwitzia amabilis.  It is another Asian native which like Gingko is no longer in the wild but frequent in cultivation.  It is in the honey suckle family, note the opposite leaves and the berry distribution similar to honeysuckle.

It has the typical arching branches, maybe not as large as 10 feet, so may have been trimmed back. The branches are expected to peal during the winter.  There will be numerous sprays of bell-shaped flowers in the spring.  We missed this last year, may have been early spring.  Wiki says the plant was most popular between the two world wars, unknown if this one could trace its history back that far.

There is no agreement about foraging the berries.  A summary might be that it is non-toxic but inedible, having a disagreeable taste.  It is apparently not in the toxic plant data bases. Attempts at jellies have been made.  This is the only plant in the area so harvesting would not be suggested anyway.

Many of the Asian honey suckles have become invasive but this one seems not to be on that list. Watch for the pealing bark in the winter and the flowers in the spring.

Probable Beauty bush on the south side of Rolandvue near 921#.

Last year there was some discussion of the willow oak on the east side of Rolandvue  100 yards north of Cloverlea.  There had been no clear acorns.  It turns out the acorns on the Willow Oak take two years to mature, and there are now numerous nuts as shown. It is a favorite of arborists, longer-lived than the Water Oak, branches stay higher and the superficial roots do less damage to pipes and sidewalks.  The leaves give a dappled shade allowing some undergrowth .

definite acorns on the willow oak

A perspicacious observer noted a small blue flower along the shoulder of Rolandvue heading downhill toward GBMC.  This is another new addition, being small it may have been overlooked, although most states call it another invasive: Asiatic Dayflower Commelina communis .  The flowers have the two prominent upper blue petals and the small lower white petal. It has a prostrate stem lying low on the ground until the flower portion shoots up.  As the name suggests, the blooms last only a day.  The flower can make a dye sued by Japanese painters.  It is a candidate for restoring mined areas since it accumulates some metals in its leaves and stems.  It is also used in studies of plant physiology.

the leaf and the flower of the Asiatic Dayflower

Near the fence on Rolandvue, not far from the fig tree is a white flower, on tall stalks.  There are a number of flowers with similar pattern, but with this late summer bloom and this leaf pattern we are suggesting late Boneset, Eupatorium serotinum.  It has the tubular flowers in a flat top inflorescence, other bonesets tend to bloom earlier, and it is not the related white snakeroot.  The leaves have petioles,stems, while the common bonnet has clasping leaves.  It is food for numerous insects.

the leaf and flower of possible late boneset, shows leaves with petiole