Cannas, agastaches, bluebells, bluebonnets – and Star Trek Voyager

There’s been an burst of indignation this week on the Yahoo Group devoted to cannas. Nature Hills Nursery has a new “canna” listed – Canna ‘Heather Queen’; it appears amongst their list of other canna varieties. Trouble is, ‘Heather Queen’ is an agastache.

The problem doubtless arose because there’s an Agastache species called Agastache cana (with one n). At some point someone at the nursery probably mis-typed it and then their software has dumped it in with the cannas and no one has bothered to change it. What's more, 'Heather Queen' is not even a cultivar of A. cana, the latest thinking is that it's a hybrid of A. cana and either A. mexicana or A. pallida.

I know, a typing slip is easily made. But someone at a nursery with such a vast range of plants really should have spotted it. Come on folks, does it really look like a canna? Anyway, it’s sold out – so perhaps some canna enthusiasts are in for surprise in the summer. This is the sort of nonsense that puts people off mail order.

And while we’re on the subject of confusions…. I was watching Star Trek Voyager this lunchtime – you know, the way you do when you’re done snow shovelling - and they were doing one of those mind meld things they like so much, one character seeing another’s memories. Swathes of wild European bluebells drifted across the screen, and were promptly referred to as Texas bluebonnets. Doh! That’s Hyacinthoides non-scripta (a hyacinth relation) = Lupinus texensis.

Actually Star Trek is a constant source of entertaining horticultural surprises. Only the other day we had what were, I think, agaves growing in a cave on some far distant planet; I vividly remember the crew in a field of marguerites, planted in rows, on distant world, and monsteras (Swiss cheese plant/Mexican breadfruit) are always turning up whenever they get stranded in some hot and steamy forest environments. Prizes for more!

Comments

[Stuart]

Helpful post Graham. I'm sure this isn't the first time it's happened either.

[Kim]

Oh man... I want a prize, but I didn't know much about plants the last time I got to watch Star Trek! I probably would have bought into the agaves, even. Maybe I need some remedial watching...

[Graham Rice]

Yes, identify plant in Star Trek, and I'll send you a prize, Kim!

In the episode I watched yesterday, they were in what seemed to be a rather rocky Christmas tree farm (firs mainly, with a few pines, I think, though I have a sneaking feeling they were cut and moved into the studio...) - and it was still going to take them 65 years of faster-than-light travel to get home.

[Gunn]

No Star Trek stuff, but have you seen the proliferating mistakes on the new Heronswood website?

[Graham Rice]

Interesting... I haven't had a close look at the new Heronswood site recently... If you like, email me any howlers you noticed and I'll take a look: grahamATgrahamrice.com.

[BPB]

Deep Space Nine liked to feature Liatris spicata in floral arrangements. Can't remember a specific episode, but I remember lol at seeing them in vases in Cardassian space.