Botany Photo of the Day

A thank you to “Weekend Gardener” on the UBC BG Forums for sharing today's photograph via the BPotD Submissions Forum. More photographs in the series (and an accompanying discussion) can be seen here: Sarcococca. Thank you, WG!

As noted in the thread discussion, one of the most striking features of dwarf sweet box or Himalayan sweet box is its fragrance, described by Weekend Gardener as being “heavenly – but then, that might be a matter of opinion. The point is – you can't help but notice the smell”. Hard to miss, indeed; the fragrance carries some distance from the flowers. Personally, I find it very pleasant to encounter, but not the kind of scent where I would linger in the area to drink more in.

Since it is a late winter, highly fragrant groundcover, it is no surprise that a number of excellent articles have been written about this Great Plant Pick. chuckrkc on the UBC BG Forums suggested this factsheet on Sarcococca hookeriana from the St. Andrews Botanic Garden's Plant of the Month series (which appears to be on hiatus). A factsheet from North Carolina State University recommends Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis as a groundcover (with relevant photographs). Paghat has also written about her experiences with the plant.

Nature / photography resource link: Prompted by the photo of the lichen on BPotD a few days ago, Scot Mcphee sent me an email noting his similar admiration for natural patterns. He shares his photographs of such here: Natural Forms, with images from Australia and England.