Digitalis question

[Rafa]

Hello,

There are blooming in the garden some digitalis very similar, Digitalis lutea, Digitalis viridiflora and Digitalis ciliata, have anyboy a key to know the diferences?

thank you

[Maggi Young]

This paper is on Molecular phylogeny of the genera Digitalis L. and Isoplexis (Lindley) Loudon (Veronicaceae) based on ITS- and trnL-F sequences....
but there may be a reference there that helps....
 http://www.sysbot.biologie.uni-muenchen.de/botsyst/pdf/pse-248-p11-p128.pdf

[ashley]

 Perhaps this online key might help Rafa.

[JohnnyD]

We have grown D. lutea for a long time from seed collected in the Picos de Europa. One plant rather surprisingly won a Certificate of Merit at Leeds AGS show some years ago, surprising not only because of the debate as to it's actual identity at the time, but also since it was one of those 'Oo, that looks nice let's dig it up' last minute entries!
We resolved the issue by reference to a substantial tome published by the Basque government entitled 'Claves ilustradas de la Flora del País Vasco y territorios limítrofes', a book no longer available in print but which can be downloaded free on the net from Jolube. Well worth a try - even if you have to use online translation for the details!
The other Spanish species we grow, also from seed from the Picos de Europa, is D. Parviflora.
The pics were taken this morning and show both plants pretty much at their best.
The last pic is an old one of D. grandiflora which grows for us in deep shade.
JohnnyD

[JohnnyD]

p.s. This is the book and the extract on the Digitalis.
J.

[Rafa]

Thank you all, I will read as much as possible, because the plants that are currently in bloom have lost their labels, and although in my sowing notes  they were D. ciliata, D. lutea and D. viridiflora, all look like the same species, or at least subsp. from a same species.