Rosa canina - Dog Rose

Rosa canina - Dog Rose

Location: Manchester Trinity school. Dog rose is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3 meters tall with long bowing stems. The flowering period is in June-July; the flowers are large and range from white to pink petals.
This specimen is growing happily in the peat soil that its situated in and is producing a lot of fruit.

Very distinctive fruit is scarlet red and oval shaped; it has a waxy texture, the flesh is edible but the seeds inside have tiny hairs that can irritate the throat if swallowed.

The stems are bright green and are riddled with robust thorns that grow in the opposite direction of end of the stem.

Its leaves grow in twos and threes of serrated leaflets.

Fallopia japonica - Japanese Knotweed

Fallopia japonica - Japanese Knotweed

Location: Budapest/Római Part on the bank of the River Danube. Japanese knotweed is a large herbaceous perennial thats capable of reaching heights of up to 2 meters and commonly forms itself in dense stands.

The white flowers grow in panicles that grow from the plant's axils, these grow up to 10cm long.

It has large heart shaped leaves 10-12 cm long with a pointed tip at the end. The small brown spots have been caused by burrowing insects.

The fruit is found in the centre of papery thin wings that are easily carried in the wind.

The stout stems are green with red tints in them; they form a zigzagged shape that changes its direction at every leaf base.

Convulvulus arvensis - Morning glory

Convulvulus arvensis - Morning glory

Location: Outside Manchester Science Park building. Morning glory otherwise known as field bindweed is a climber plant that grow up to 3 meters tall it climbs up the stems of other plants or urban elements such as fences by twining its stems around them. The flowering period is from July-September. It's a common site in wasteland, hedges, gardens and wet woodland.
This specimen has made its home amongst a Prunus spp. and a cotoneaster in a damp peat type soil.

Large funnel shaped flowers up to 7cm long usually white or pink in appearance.

A flower bud thats ready to show it's hidden array of large white petals.

Twining stems are seen here tangling themselves around the cotoneaster.

Broad green leaves are heart shaped and can grow up to 15cm long.

Location - Barcelona, despite their normal white or pink appearance, genetic mutations have occurred and are bred for their different colours.