plant I.D. please

ZEROPILOT

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This tree is in my back yard and drops flowers all over during the raining season. The torts don't seem to eat them but they make tea out of the water.... is it safe?

20150715_170625-1.jpg 20150715_170631.jpg
 
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Moozillion

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Sorry- that's not one I recognize. I think Jacquie is good at this...
 

Yvonne G

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I'm not sure because I've never seen one in real life, but it may be rhododendron, which is not edible.
 

MPRC

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Looks like a rhoadie to me. We have tons of them here in the northwest. I think the rhododendron is the state flower of Washington.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Lacey is correct on her ID as a rhododendron. Rhododendrons are a poisonous plant family. I'd somehow figure a way to keep those flowers out.
You're nuts. That doesn't look anything like a Rhoadie. I vote for Mallow. I have a bush in my front yard that looks pretty much the same, but my torts eat leaves and flowers....so, maybe I'm wrong, but I know Ken is not right. That's NOT a Rhoadie....
 

MPRC

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I still think it looks like a rhoadie - do the flowers grow in clusters? There are several types, they span literally from the arctic to the tropics and come in a lot of shapes, colors and configurations.

RhododendronNoyoDream4.jpg


rhododendron_george%27s_delight.jpg
 

domalle

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You're nuts. That doesn't look anything like a Rhoadie. I vote for Mallow. I have a bush in my front yard that looks pretty much the same, but my torts eat leaves and flowers....so, maybe I'm wrong, but I know Ken is not right. That's NOT a Rhoadie....

Unless it's some kind of Florida azalea. And azalea's are just rhododendrons with smaller leaves.
 

domalle

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I still think it looks like a rhoadie - do the flowers grow in clusters? There are several types, they span literally from the arctic to the tropics and come in a lot of shapes, colors and configurations.

RhododendronNoyoDream4.jpg


rhododendron_george%27s_delight.jpg
The clustered bud formation on the rhododendron eliminates it.
 

MPRC

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@domalle - I was thinking that it could be the end of flowering and that all of the others were knocked off. I was hoping @ZEROPILOT would weigh in on that. I'm trying to find a photo to demonstrate that, but digging through a zillion pretty photos on google isn't showing what I am thinking just yet.
 

domalle

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Well, I must admit I had not considered that. You could be right.
This thread should be moved to the appropriate site so others will see it like @Iochroma
 

ZEROPILOT

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The flowers are singular. Not in clusters. Each flower has it's own stem.
The tree is over 20 feet tall and blooms in June every year.
The flowers are already 80% gone from the tree.
The flowers are very "trumpet" shaped.
No berries or nuts.
Almost bare during the mild winter.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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Well it being deciduous and not a broad leaf evergreen rules out the rhododendron family completely. I know of none that shed all their leaves in the fall.
I've never seen mallow as anything other than an annual, and certainly I've never seen one more than 3'tall let alone as a 20' tree.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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I use this app with my phone. Ask what it is and you receive a response quickly. I then compare with Google image to confirm, then I search that UK tortoise site to see if its edible. Check it out.

myGardenAnswers
Checkout this cool app that lets you use your smartphone camera to get instant answers to your garden questions. http://gardenanswersapp.appspot.com/static/mygardenanswers-logo.png
 

ZEROPILOT

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I have stone age technology. A work computer and a smart phone with a not so smart operator.
I've googled "purple flower trees", etc and looked at zillions of photos and none so far are a match.
Thanks, Ken.
 
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