Butcher's Broom in Suburbia

[Actinia]

Butcher's Broom is a most peculiar plant. It is related to Asparagus and Hyacinths, but it has woody stems with very inconspicuous leaves. Instead of leaves it has flattened leaf-like stems called cladodes. The flowers are also very small and are borne in the centre of a cladode. It is typically a woodland plant. In the UK it is a characteristic species of ancient woodlands (those older than 300 years), but it seems to turn up in nearby suburbs.

#1 This first shot is of a plant growing on the boundary between myself and my neighbour. He was having the fence replaced, so I took the opportunity to photograph it with no fence to crowd it. The whole plant is around 30cm high.

#2 is a close up of the berries. These seem to be in evidence most of the year, although they seem to be at their fattest about now. The cladodes are about 20mm long, and the berries are about 15mm across. The berries are much favoured by birds, which explains how they get into suburban gardens.

#3 is a close-up of a developing fruit in the middle of a cladode. This is only about 3mm across. In the middle ground is an even younger fruit bud.

I post these as a record of an interesting plant, but I would welcome comment and criticism on the photos. The first was taken with a Canon Powershot SX 260 HS. The other two were taken with a Sony A55 with a Sigma 28-80mm lens at 80mm Macro setting. The third was taken using a ringflash.