[Alisdair]

Today Mo Forbes asked on our Facebook page: Can any one help me? I saw some beautiful flowers in a Greek lady's garden today . It had a sort of cosmos leaf but tall spiky flowers. The Greek lady called it Kapochino. Any one know what that is? Thank you
No picture I'm afraid, but she'd be glad of an answer if this strikes a chord with any of you...
Incidentally today's cover picture there is of part of the MGS garden at Sparoza, taken by Davina Michaelides - most Saturdays there's a new Sparoza picture there

[John J]

Alisdair, in Cyprus Delphiniums are known as Kapoutsinos. Could that be it?

[Alisdair]

Thanks for the idea, John: I'll suggest that to her.

[Joanna Savage]

Alisdair and John, Apparently the Italian word 'capucino ' derives from Capuchin monks. They in turn derive the name from 'cappuccio' , a monk's hood. So it would not be surprising if Delphiniums, with their hooded flowers also derived a common name from 'cappuccio', or its Latin equivalent.

[John J]

Joanna, that sounds a very likely explanation. Cypriot Greek did absorb words from the languages of the various ruling nations over the centuries, including from the time of the Venetians.

[Miriam]

Maybe Ratibida columnifera

[Alisdair]

Mo Forbes's original description certainly matches the Ratibida much more closely than a delphinium does, Miriam! But back on facebook she's now said that John's suggestion of a delphinium seems right. (And in a Greek garden I think it's far more likely to see a delphinium than a Mexican cone flower....)

By the way, thanks very much for all your help in putting names to people's ID pictures, Miriam. You're an encyclopedia!

[Kriticat]

Perhaps it's a butterfly delphinium, they are quite common in Crete, even naturalising in the cracks in village streets