Flower ID and a book............. [Archive]

tiler65

31-05-2008, 08:42

I like to share my flower images but I would like to be able to name them too.

So can anybody recommend a flower ID book to me?

Here are a couple for you to ID

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d34/ardion-90/Purpleorchid.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d34/ardion-90/Redhot.jpg

Baz777

31-05-2008, 13:27

Two very nice shots :thumbs:

First one looks like an Iris, no idea on the second one.

I too am looking for a good book ;)

gwh

31-05-2008, 14:38

iris and lupin
yours gwh

CatB

31-05-2008, 14:57

I agree with the 1st one, definitely and iris. I'm pretty sure the second one is not a lupin (they have flowers more like the shape of sweet pea flowers, but on a pyramid type flower head) but I don't know what it is.

To identify the second one you really also need the leaves, an idea of the growing habit of the plant and ideally a shot at an angle that shows the structure one of the open flowers more clearly - but there may be an expert on here who can identify it from what you have got.

Books wise, I have 'Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland' by Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter and Alastair Fitter, which is pretty comprehensive and gives distribution maps for each plant etc and has the plants grouped by family. I also have Marjorie Blamey's 'Wild Flowers by Colour' which is less comprehensive but easier for a total beginner to use, once you can look at plant and have a vague idea of the family the comprehensive guide becomes much easier to use. These are both beautifully illustrated, however I don't have any other books to compare them too!

The way my Uni teaches terrestrial ecology students to identify plants uses a book with a key where theoretically you can work your way through systematically to identify any british plant but you have to have a pretty good grasp of the names for all the different parts of a plant and flower for that - I could find the name of the book for you though if you are interested.

f.box

31-05-2008, 15:15

the second one is called primula vialii

Cuddy

31-05-2008, 16:41

I would second CatB`s suggestion M Blameys book wildflowers by colour.