Colchicum 2014

[Maggi Young]

Looks  as 'Antares' should, I reckon -   

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4873.msg165135#msg165135 - lovely photo from Hagen in 2010

 http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3981.msg110447#msg110447   your pix from 2009
and another pic  from Hagen : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3981.msg110476#msg110476

[johnralphcarpenter]

The diminutive but lovely Colchicum cousturieri (syn. Colchicum cupanii), from Kurt Vickery, ex Alan Edwards.

[johnw]

Thanks Maggi.  One wonders how it got to NS unless someone brought home from BC, wasn't offered by Cruickshanks or Garden Imports back then - our former best Ontario-based bulb suppliers.

johnw

[Leena]

Here is my 'Antares', and it looks the same.
Second picture is 'Autumn Herald' and third 'Autumn Queen'. These two look very similar to my eye and they also come up about the same time. very nice plants and I also like 'Antares'. I understand these all are hybrids, and I was wondering about their origin because I got seeds from both 'Autumn Queen' and Autumn Herald' this summer. What species were used for these plants, does anyone know?
In the last picture there is 'Autumn Herald' in the foreground and 'Antares' in the back.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Colchicum davisii Davis 26938.

[mark smyth]

How does Colchicum cupanii differ from C. cousturieri?

I have bought both from various sources in the past and they look the same.

This year I decided to buy Colchicum cousturieri from Kurt. His bulbs flower with no leaves or leaves just visible while C. cupanii have a full set of leaves

[johnralphcarpenter]

The last of the large flowered species in the garden is Colchicum speciosum.

[Yann]

Mark here's my Colchicum cupanii

[pehe]

Mark, well grown C. cupanii!

Here is my poor one

Poul

[Yann]

cupanii is a slow grower

[Matt T]

How does Colchicum cupanii differ from C. cousturieri?

Hi Mark,

A number of sellers and growers clearly distinguish C. cousturieri as a distinct plant: "Closest allied to Colchicum cupani in its subspecies cupani but distinguished by Greuter by the presence of thin purple striae (veins) on the [petals]": http://rareplants.co.uk/product.asp?s=cuxcu5941064&strParents=&CAT_ID=447&P_ID=3104

However, the Plant List simply lists C. cousturieri as a synonym of C. cupanii subsp. cupanii: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-302816

And here you can even find it listed as C. cupanii subsp. cousturieri: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/agsimages/library/image/?genus=Colchicum&imageid=1214&page=1

Confused? Me too!

In 'Bulbs of Greece' Kit Grey-Wilson only briefly mentions C. cousturieri under the entry for C. cupanii, saying: "...confined to islands off the SE coast of Crete, differs only in it's purple-striped tepals; however, similar plants [of C. cupanii] can be found in the S Peloponnese."
If purple veins and a limited geographic distribution are the only criteria, I'd say it might be hard to support the specific status of C. cousturieri on these differences alone when similar plants occur within the much wider range of C. cupanii.
It might be a case of a now botanically obsolete name being retained to identify garden plants of a specific provenance, i.e. "C. cousturieri" is easier to use as a form of gardeners' shorthand than "Colchicum cupanii subsp. cupanii ex Islands SE of Crete"?

[mark smyth]

Mark, well grown C. cupanii!

Thanks Poul. Well fed and then neglected for the summer

[mark smyth]

I've looked at the flowers and see no difference. In fact I'll go out now and do a side by side photo

[mark smyth]

How does Colchicum cupanii differ from C. cousturieri? In each photo the same flower is to the left or right.

C. cousturieri still have more flowers than leaves

The naming of the photo doesn't indicate anything. I've tried different backgrounds to show off the flowers

[Matt T]

How does Colchicum cupanii differ from C. cousturieri? In each photo the same flower is to the left or right.

C. cousturieri still have more flowers than leaves

The naming of the photo doesn't indicate anything. I've tried different backgrounds to show off the flowers

Hi Mark,
I'm struggling to find any significant difference in the appearance of these flowers.
Geographical distribution may be the only botanical difference.
M