Commercial flower ID

[JPB]

My neighbour asked me the name of this flower. While I've seen it many times in flower shops, it don't know its name...
Also she's interested in the name of this particular cultivar. She wants to grow it in her garden.

Many thanks, HAns

[fermi de Sousa]

try Lisianthus or prairie gentain
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Their full name is Eustoma grandiflorum .... I think these plants are rather tricky to grow from seed and only annuals anyway...... not going to be much of a propostion for your neighbour's garden,  I fear......  

[Maggi Young]

The variety may ber this one:
Sapphireb Blue Chip.....

http://www.blossomswap.com/products/lisianthus-sapphire-blue-chip

http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/3219/

[JPB]

Thanks a lot for you fast replies!!!

[David Pilling]

I bought some Eustoma seed from Thompson and Morgan in 2009.

It is microscopic seed, so it comes 'pelleted'. The pelleting was a nightmare, seeds in pellets didn't germinate and many of the pellets were crushed in the packet - out of the resulting dust I got plants.

They're one of those things, tiny seed that needs to be started very early indoors and grown in optimal conditions to get flowers in one year. Some did flower and they're a nice flower. But... they're very floppy, some of them seemed to do the sudden fungal death thing (like Zinnias do). Probably the majority didn't flower and succumbed to "the coldest winter in 30 years".

They never got out of the greenhouse. However it was a cold, dark, wet Summer here.

Probably with skill, experience and decent weather no problem.

[TheOnionMan]

There is but one species of Eustoma (Prairie Gentian) now recognized, with two subspecies.  Eustoma grandiflorum is a synonym of
Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUEXR

Years ago I saw in the garden of a friend nearby in southern New Hampshire, a beautiful purple form of Eustoma grown from wild-collected seed, which was perennial in his garden (although a short-lived perennial).  The story of Eustoma/Lisianthus is an interesting one, an almost tragic journey if one is a species purist, about how a relatively obscure native prairie plant, with gorgeous single flowers like that of a Calochortus, was "discovered" by the horticultural trade, and then intensively bred into a range of gaudy plants hardly recognizable as being derived from such a simple beauty.  I suspect any hardiness was also bred out as well, although I can't attest to that.  As you can see from the USDA link, Eustoma is found all the way to the Canadian border, so hardiness should not be an issue, although moisture and proper culture, as with many prairie plants, might be a challenge in come climates.

The modern day "Lisianthus" cultivars are certainly pretty in their own right, but bear little resemblance to the original.  Much of the emphasis for "Lisianthus' breeding has been for the cut flower trade.  I for one, prefer the elegant single-flowered native forms:
http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/pubs/euru4_003_php.jpg
http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/pubs/euru4_005_php.jpg

Take a look at this gallery of native prairie plants in Kansas, the first photo is of a fine clump of Eustoma in glorious bloom.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kscomanc/flowers.html

Fascinating link on Gentian research, taxomonically not in sync with USDA in terms of species count.
http://gentian.rutgers.edu/genera/genEust.htm
(hint:  also click on the Lisianthius link, a distinction made from Lisianthus, or click the link entitled "The convoluted history of the name Lisianthus")

[Maggi Young]

I think I have read that the range of colours in Lisianthus was achieved by chemical manipulation as much as by breeding.

[Lesley Cox]

Their full name is Eustoma grandiflorum .... I think these plants are rather tricky to grow from seed and only annuals anyway...... not going to be much of a propostion for your neighbour's garden,  I fear......  

And tender annuals at that.

[TheOnionMan]

I think I have read that the range of colours in Lisianthus was achieved by chemical manipulation as much as by breeding.

I don't doubt that... perhaps accounting for all of the doubling and polypetalus forms they created, and kaleidoscope of colors.