Paris 2024

Let it not be said that we are indifferent to major world happenings around here. Hence this brief account of one of the defining events of Logan’s botanical calendar for 2024 – the emergence of Paris quadrifolia through woodlands of the Dolomites.

Green flowers inspire reverence in many plantspeople, and we are certainly not immune to their unusual charms – as evidenced by our plant profile on a remarkable green-flowered daffodil from the Iberian Peninsula, Narcissus viridiflorus. The elegant beauty of Herb Paris (as it is commonly known) is also conferred by its striking floral structure and attractive, quadripartite foliage.

In the habitats in which he observed it, Logan noted that P. quadrifolia seemed to have a particular affinity for coniferous woodlands (larch and pine), and the friable substrates that are typical of the uppermost soil layer in these places. It also showed a marked preference for the margins of lakes and rivers.

This makes sense with our own experience of having grown this species in the experimental garden attached to the studio, where it responds well to a well-drained humus layer that does not dry out inordinately.

One factor that we will incorporate into its future cultivation here is Herb Paris’ association with calcareous substrates, as found in habitats like the limestone cave mouth shown below, right – via some non-scientific distribution of limestone around its general vicinity.

The images and recollections that form the basis of this journal article are provided by Logan Drummond from recent travels in the Mediterranean. As with all other images on the O2 Landscapes website, ownership resides with the photographer, and these images may not be used or reproduced without the consent of both Logan and O2 Landscapes.