Cinquefoil (Marsh) / Marsh Cinquefoil (original) (raw)

Superficial resemblance to : Munich Crane's-bill but only because of their dark colours; they have a differing number of petals and grow in totally different places.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics: No other flower has such deep red to beetroot coloured and pointed sepals (resembling petals) in so striking a star shape.

Marsh Cinquefoil has been moved out of the Potentilla (Cinquefoil) genus with all the other Cinquefoils and Tormentils and moved into a new Genus Comarum where it now sits all alone.

Marsh Cinquefoil grown in very wet marshes, fens, bogs and swamps. Being a member of the Rose Family, it has five deep red _very narrow_petals, which are backed by five browner, broader and larger pointed sepals. But just like those of Strawberry (another member of the Rose Family) it has multiple seeds which look very reminiscent of strawberries.

The five to seven leaves are deeply toothed, of unequal length and arranged deceptively palmate on the ends of stalks. The tips of the teeth may be red/beetroot tinged. The plant is said to be 'hairless' (although the leaves do seem to have a very short felt to your Authors eyes, which is probably why they are not shiny).

In regard to the half-fasciated plants at the gravel quarries, where the flowers seem normal until they open when they seemingly develop a strong elongated shape due to fasciation, your Author has a theory. Some strange flies seem to take great interest in the enlarged bit of the fasciated flowers, perhaps feeding off some nectar or nutrient it might be producing. But the flowers all seem normal until opened. Your Author wonders whether the flies, on finding a just opening flower, are actually causing the flower to develop abnormally, perhaps by purposefully damaging the meristem tissue - the growing centre of the flower. If this is so, then it appears that the flies are farmers, attending a crop and then deliberately causing a mutation in the flowers to later harvest the profits of their labour. Is this so far fetched? Or are the flies just opportunistic and not deterministic?

[Note that in the photographs there are three different species of flies/bugs (not one of which your Author has been able to identify) attending the fasciated parts].

Your Author will let the reader decide, for he has no real idea. He will go and monitor the group of Marsh Cinquefoil to see if they eventually all turn out to be fasciated. And indeed, what the fasciated end product - the fruits - look like. Red bananas anyone?

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