Image: Leycesteria formosa chasmophytic in wall close-up

Description: Close-up of base of a small specimen of Leycesteria formosa (family Caprifoliaceae) growing out of a crack in the wall of the Elizabethan walled garden at Berrington, Northumberland; seeded in a bird dropping produced by a bird which had consumed ripe berries from a mature specimen of the plant inside the garden. This demonstrates how the species can grow as a chasmophyte in the wild i.e. in rock crevices in outcrops and cliffs. Such growth will limit the root system and tend to result in smaller plants than those growing in deep, rich soil. Note puffy, gnarled top of rootstock - possibly a type of small lignotuber - which was revealed by some judicious pruning away of thin, dead stems, the stumps of which are visible below the living stems. Note also purple colouration and incipient woodiness of living stems which are daily bathed in morning sun, due to East-facing aspect in which plant growing.
Title: Leycesteria formosa chasmophytic in wall close-up
Credit: Own work
Author: Flobbadob
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes