Pulsatilla 2015

[FrazerHenderson]

P. campanella - white and normal forms plus habitat.

[Maggi Young]

Little charmers, Frazer. No idea why the odd photo shifts sideways- I've rotated it for you.

[Lori S.]

How do you tell Pulsatilla vulgaris (Anemone pulsatilla) from Pulsatilla patens (Anemone patens)? As I understand it, there are several different flower colors of each species. Here in Minnesota, we have Pulsatilla patens var. multifida growing in the wild, and it usually has sepals with lavender backs and white fronts (http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/american-pasqueflower). But I have seen pictures of European Pulsatilla patens with darker purple flowers, and the same flower color on the Illinois Wildflowers site (http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/pasqueflower.htm).

By the way, I have made contact with the owner of the Illinois Wildflowers site and explained why I believe the photos of the garden-grown plant(s), labelled there as P. patens, are actually P. vulgaris.  The site owner agreed, and removed the entry for P. patens (given that the garden-grown P. vulgaris were the only pictures used in it).

[Gabriel B]

Lori, I'm glad you got the error corrected.

Here are the leaves of one of my native pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla patens var. multifida) in late May. They're very interesting, dark, leathery and slender-lobed and spreading. It's a big old clump, happy with the dry sunny spot next to our steps, in a soil column sandwiched between two pieces of concrete.



And since I don't think I posted this, here are the buds and flowers in early April. The buds are fuzzy like little chicks, and the sepals are white with veins on the top and light lavender on the bottoms. I have to admit the flowers look a bit messy after they open up fully; I really like the bud stage more. Maybe this isn't the best genetic variant. I've seen some that looked much cuter.

[astragalus]

Looks pretty cute to me.  Wouldn't mind having it in my garden.

[Maggi Young]

From Olga Bondareva :

Pulsatilla leaves
Pulsatilla leaves:
1 Pulsatilla flavescens from Irkutsk
2 P. campanella
3 P. tatewakii
4 P. vulgaris
5 P. nuttaliana
6 P. georgica
7 P. patens
8 P. taraoi
9 P. chinensis
10 P. halleri. 'Budapest'
11 P. pratensis ssp. nigricans
12 P. dahurica
13 P. flavescens
14 P. cernua
15 P. ambigua
16 P. albana
17 Pulsatilla sp. ambigua group
18 P. subslavica
19 Pulsatilla sp. pratensis group
20 P. multifida



and Pulastilla taraoi, with Susann Nilsson's comment on how  to make it happy - "The trick to keep it alive is to grow it in pure vulcanic soil. Very very low pH with a lot of minerals."

[Gabriel B]

Astragalus, if you'd like to try it (and can't find another source), I can send you seed next June.


Maggi, thanks for posting the wonderful picture of pasqueflower leaves, and please thank Olga too! Does she grow all of those in her garden? That's a truly amazing collection. I should try more species, because the climate in Moscow is fairly similar to Minnesota.

It's fascinating how the leaves vary from a round outline to long, from palmate to pinnate, and the divisions from wide to grasslike.

It looks like my Pulsatilla patens var. multifida is what she labels P. nuttalliana, although her P. multifida is very similar as well. It makes me wonder how these species or varieties are distinguished.

[Chris Johnson]

From Olga Bondareva :

Pulsatilla leaves
Pulsatilla leaves:
1 Pulsatilla flavescens from Irkutsk
2 P. campanella
3 P. tatewakii
4 P. vulgaris
5 P. nuttaliana
6 P. georgica
7 P. patens
8 P. taraoi
9 P. chinensis
10 P. halleri. 'Budapest'
11 P. pratensis ssp. nigricans
12 P. dahurica
13 P. flavescens
14 P. cernua
15 P. ambigua
16 P. albana
17 Pulsatilla sp. ambigua group
18 P. subslavica
19 Pulsatilla sp. pratensis group
20 P. multifida

(Attachment Link)

What a wonderful and useful image by Olga. Thanks for posting it, Maggi.

[Maggi Young]

Those leaves were , I believe, all from Olga's garden - and I think she even forgot to add ( or ran out of space on the table) a few more!

[astragalus]

Astragalus, if you'd like to try it (and can't find another source), I can send you seed next June.


I'd love to try it - thank you.

[Gabriel B]

Maggi, if she wouldn't mind taking the trouble, I'd love to see another image with the missing ones in it!


Astragalus, I've written your request down, and I'll send you a message next June. If anyone else is interested in the North American Pulsatilla patens (or nuttalliana), just let me know.