Hello Darren,
I've heard back from John Watson. He was pleased to learn such plants were still being grown, and with their collectors' attributions.
He goes on to write :
"This wasn't an easy one, as our very basic field idents: date, place, number, provisional ident and records (i.e. whether herbarium specimen, photos, distributed seeds and/or bulbs) have only been transferred to the their p.c. Word file from mid-2007 onwards, when I got my digital camera. The rest back to 1962 are typed in order on sheaths of paper, each season or major destination separated out like the chapter of a book..................
However, the clues that Darren offered fortunately helped to focus this process down considerably. When I dug out the year, likely location(s) and range of collectors' ref. numbers, I discovered we'd brought back quite a few leucocorynes from that trip, including a couple identified only as 'sp.' A quick glance revealed none apparently recorded as L. odorata. I speculated that maybe someone had seen and identified Darren's plant for him. Maybe even one of our original idents had been altered thus.
Then, looking at them all carefully again I noticed one as Leucocoryne ixioides (or odorata). Ah, that must be our man (or woman)! Its collectors' number is F.& W. 9573, and it was taken not to far from the coast at the west foot of the El Melon Pass in our home region of Valparaiso. Now that data is interesting, and allows me to offer further info based on the latest catalogue of the vascular plants of Chile, published late last year. L. odorata is now reduced to a synonym of L. foetida. Furthermore, it only grows in this region, and up to no more than 200 m. That means we must have found it at its elevational limit. By the way, the unfortunate epithet 'foetida' undoubtedly refers to the onion-like stink of the bullbs, not the 'perfume' of the flowers!
Cheers,
J"
I think this is just the info you need, Darren, and kindest thanks to John for his help!
