Image: Leycesteria formosa self-seeded on garden wall

Description: 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. L. formosa is a popular garden plant in the UK, grown for its pendent strings of pale flowers subtended by deep pink bracts. It was introduced from its native Himalayas as an ornamental and as a food plant for pheasants raised as game birds (hence the main English common name "pheasant berry") which relish the ripe fruits. When fully ripe, the fruits are also edible for humans, having a mild caramel/chocolate flavour, although they are bitter and acrid when unripe. The plant is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the hollow stems have been used in India to make whistles and flutes.
Title: Leycesteria formosa self-seeded on garden wall
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
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