G. 'Clare Blakeway-Phillips'

[apothecary]

This is what I have as 'Clare Blakeway-Phillips' which I understand is usually, if not always, virused.  I have noticed that the one flower on my clump shows very variable inner segment markings - is this the virus? Or is it normal for the variety?  I can't discern any obvious streaking on the leaves except very slightly if I hold them up to the light - is that as obvious as I should expect?

This is currently in a pot, and I noticed the book suggested the virus wasn't easily transferred from this variety.  I suddenly realised I don't actually know how it's transferred at all.  Is it by water droplets or through soil?  Should I be keeping virused pots well away from the others?

After all those questions, my final one would be:  Is this definitely 'Clare Blakeway-Phillips'?  It has the splayed leaves, but otherwise doesn't look so distinctive to me.

[Rob]

I think virus can be spread by nematodes in the soil and by aphids going from plant to plant.

If you are curating a collection of choice snowdrops it is probably best to destroy any infected plants.

[Maggi Young]

Kristina, I believe that I can see enough "stripes" on the stems of your snowie to worry me that there IS virus. 
I am aware of the various plants, for example in snowdrops and tulips, where the virus is said to be "stable" or unlikely to be passed on..... I'm afraid that's not good enough for me.... I prefer the 'better safe than sorry' method and remove/ destroy any suspect plants at once.
 If a quarantine area in available, then one can try to obtain seed from the affected plant before destroying it, as seed will give clean stock.

[Martin Baxendale]

Kristina, it looks like Clare Blakeway-Phillips and it looks virused (the broken colour on the mark is a typical sign). A healthy flower from a healthy bulb is very pretty, but when virused they look less attractive.

As said by others, aphids and nematodes are the common virus vectors, but the virus can also be transmitted by the gardener's hands, especially if leaves or flowers are crushed and sap transferred to other plants.

The only answer is to destroy or isolate the virused plant. Since you have so much land to play with, you could plant the clump in  a very isolate spot well away from any other snowdrops, in another part of the woods completely. Feeding the clump may help it live with the virus, and left alone in an isolated spot it may just possibly set a few seeds and seed around over the years (although in my experience Clare Blakeway-Phillips is a cultivar (probably hybrid - maybe plicatus X gracilis) which does not set much seed.
As for the one in a pot, yes keep it well away from your other potted snowdrops.

[apothecary]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  The response from the powers that be is that since said plant has been here for 7 yrs, the horse has already bolted as far as the virus is concerned so we should just leave it as is as far as the Springwoods lot is concerned.  My pot, on the other hand, will be isolated.  Opinions on this course of action (or lack thereof) gratefully received.

[Martin Baxendale]

If you're not destroying them, then I'd strongly urge moving the clump of Clare Blakeway-Phillips in Springwood at the very least a few metres (and preferably a few tens of metres) away from the rest of the collection to minimize the chances of aphid (or possibly bee) transmission of the virus.

For anyone to say that the virus is probably already in the rest of the collection, so take no action, is just daft. The rest of the collection (or at least most of it) is most likely still clean. Virus spread in snowdrops can be quite slow, and many people do have some virus-infected snowdrops (e.g. Clare B-P, Augustus) in their gardens without their entire collections becoming infected. I've grown Clare B-P and Augustus without nearby snowdrops becoming infected (although I moved them when virus became obvious).

It's just a sensible precaution to move the bulbs away from the rest of the collection if you have the space to do so, and it's certainly not a case of the horse having already left the stable.

[snowdropman]

Martin & Maggi are absolutely right - not worth the risks involved, even if they have already been there for 7 years - if you want to continue growing them, isolate them, well away from any other snowdrops (and make sure that you put a plant from another genus in their original spot).

[mark smyth]

On a similar vein I saw a collection recently riddled with Stagonospora. I pointed it out and the answer was "everyone has it why should I bother". The collection is on a slope which will allow the fungus to spread downhill as happened to Matt's collection

[Maggi Young]

"everyone has it why should I bother".

What an extraordinary attitude! Just as well the medical profession hasn't taken that tack, over the years ......there'd none of us left