Image: Leycesteria formosa chasmophyte lignotuber close-up

Description: Close-up of the gnarled and puffy surface of the tuberous rootstock (apparently a type of lignotuber) of a dwarf specimen of Leycesteria formosa, growing chasmophytically out of the mortar near the top of the exterior of the wall of a walled garden in the extreme North of the English county of Northumberland. Plant seeded in a bird dropping produced by a bird which had consumed ripe berries from a mature specimen of the species 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, more prematurely woody plants than those growing in deep, rich soil. Lignotuber has been exposed slightly by some judicious pruning away of thin, dead stems, the stumps of which are visible below the living ones. Note also purple colouration of living stems which are daily bathed in morning sun, due to East-facing aspect in which plant growing. Plant in exposed position, subjected to East winds in winter, mitigated slightly by relative closeness of site to sea coast.
Title: Leycesteria formosa chasmophyte lignotuber 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
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