Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina is one of the most easily-missed woodland spring flowers due to its small size and green flowers, but it's worth taking a close look at its inflorescence because it's really rather remarkable.
The inflorescence, in a two inch-tall stalk, is made up of five small flowers. Four face outwards like the faces of a townhall clock, giving the plant its alternative common name. Each of these has five petals and ten stamens.
The fifth flower points upwards and this one has four petals and eight stamens.
There's nothing else quite like it in the British flora.
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Have never seen this flower before, even over looked it in books I have read. Thanks for sharing this , going to read more about it, and see if I can find one...
ReplyDeleteAmanda..
Hi Amanda, Surprisingly little seems to have been written about it, other than that it has a musky smell at dusk - which I'm going to try to detect
DeleteFantastic photo Phil (as ever) of a curious plant. What lens etc. do you use as I'm thinking of buying a macro for flower photography?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeremy, I used a macro lens which is very convenient
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