Tropaeolum 2013- 2014

[Melvyn Jope]

I would advise great caution with  T.ciliatum, I very much regret ignoring the advice to keep it contained in a pot. Having planted it in the garden it is a complete thug here, perfectly hardy and with roots which form tubers growing at quite a depth underground making it impossible to get rid of. Shoots now come up about 5 metres away in all directions from the original plant.

[PeterT]

Apologies for not managing to take part in the forum for some time.
I am sowing some old seeds which I was given, among them is a packet labeled "Tropaeoleum pubescens var pubescens Aloag/ Tandepi 2600m. 29.7.93"
The seeds are quite angular with points on them. Can any one advise what the plant might be please?

[Maggi Young]

Kew plantlist syas that name is a synonym of  :
 Tropaeolaceae  Tropaeolum pubescens Kunth   publ. Nov. Gen. Sp. [H.B.K.] 5: 251 [quarto]. 1821

Distribution: Loja (Ecuador, Western South America, Southern America)
Collector(s):  F.W.H.A.Humboldt 3325

....which I admit doesn't get us very far! I'm looking to see if the published paper is online.

[PeterT]

Thanks Maggie, Im really needing to know if it is an annual, woodlander or a screeplant, the seed is very old but it seems obscure enough to be interesting and might be worth sowing.

[Maggi Young]

Haven't even found that info yet, Peter! Are you rehydrating the seed? It'll be a tad on the dry side after all this time, I expect 

[PeterT]

I am about to sow 80 pots of Alstroemeria, I'm in the middle of 120 pots of Allium seeds. then Tulips, Colchicums...... Unfortunately they will only  be soaked when they are planted because of lack of time. I wish I could soak each lot and then plant but it is not practical. I hope that there will be time, before winter, for warmth to initiate germination.

[Maggi Young]

From an  French  paper from 1967 it appears it is  perennia - it is said to be part of  the Serrato-ciliata  group (Hughes1922)
Part paper here :
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4113568?uid=3738032&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21104660914737   

Small pix of herb pages here :

http://plants.jstor.org/search?plantName=Tropaeolum+pubescens&

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Peter,
Tropaeolum pubescens is probably annual ( as supposed in Sparre's & Andersson's monography ). It is pilose ( as indicated by its name ). Flowers are small ( 25-35 mm long ). The spur is orange-red. The calyx is greenish. Petals are ciliate and blackish blue. They are not much exceeding the calyx lobes.
This species has been in cultivation in the UK many years ago and has ( apparently ) disappeared.
Graham Buchanan-Dunlop who previously had the national UK tropaeolum collection grew it from seed ( got from J. Archibald ). He distributed cuttings but unfortunately lost the plant. Apparently no one has been able to give one back to him. I know he would be very interested in growing this species again ( I confess I also would... ). He took pictures of his plant. I have one but can't post it without permission. ( it has been published in the Tropaeolum newsletter n°14 / The Geraniaceae group publications ).
I don't have Graham's details. He lives in Scotland in a new house. I'm sure he would be pleased to tell what he knows about this rare species.
Maggi, maybe you know him?
JP

[Maggi Young]

He is an SRGC member- and  Ian and I have had contact with him in the past- but only by post if I remember correctly.

[PeterT]

Thankyou for your research Maggie  And thankyou Jean-Patrick for the information. I was going to sow them now but I assume that they will be better sown in the Spring?

Jean- Patrick, my packet has enough to share between three and is from Jim Archibalds seed room - with his own hand writing on it, I think. When I reach it  again I will contact you. (It is in a box of seed packets ready to be sown.)

[Maggi Young]

I have now found a phone number for Graham Buchanan-Dunlop  -so I may try to phone tomorrow to see if he will be willing for J-P to  show  his photo of the plant etc.

There is no mention of this plant in any of the Archibald seedlists, by the way so it does not seem to have been officially offered by Jim and Jenny .

 

[PeterT]

Good work Maggie!
I am sure that Jim could not offer every seed that came his way, small volume, poor quality, lackof time..... many seeds which he might have grown or received from his many contacts would never have enterd his sales list. I think that this packet (over 20 years old) contains about ten seeds.

[Jupiter]

Hi Peter, following this thread it occurred to me that your seed may be barely viable after ten years. Perhaps a soak in 0.1% bleach and sown into something sterile would be advisable if they are as precious as I think they might be... You don't want to lose them to a common soil microbe if germination is sluggish and growth may be feeble. Please keep us posted, I too am interested in seeing pictures of this lesser known Trop.

[Maggi Young]

I have just had a chat with Graham B-D.  He is going to send me some notes he has on the plant. He received five seeds of it in 1993:  only one germinated. It is the same collection  as Peter's packet, noted by Graham as being made at  8500ft  in Ecuador.   

It grew for some years into quite a robust plant and proved amenable to grow from cuttings, tho' Graham does not  at the moment recall getting any seed.

Graham was kind enough to say he had no objections at all to J-P  sharing his photo of the plant on the forum. 

[Maggi Young]

Here is a copy of Graham Buchanan-Dunlop's notes, as promised :