When it blossoms, the umbels have orange cups attached to the stalks: http://www.box.net/shared/static/prvquoeino.jpg http://www.box.net/shared/static/kskosooqp5.jpg These orange cups are not fruit, since they appear on stalks before the blossoms open and don't look anything like the ultimate fruit anyway. They are not peculiar to my plant, because I can see them here: http://taichungmp.cpami.gov.tw/news/news3/242%E5%86%87%E9%AA%A8%E6%B6%88%E7%85%A7%E7%89%87%20076.jpg The cups are always the same size and shape. One whole umbel of blossom might have a dozen of them. What part of the plant are they? Or are they a parasite? I don't remember seeing such features on Sambucus nigra or canadensis, nor on the Australian native elders. Richard Other posts: |