Sternbergia 2014

[David Nicholson]

Angst, nay thrice and more

[Maggi Young]

Take heart , David - there are 'reasons to be cheerful' -
first: there are a lot of us in the same boat, struggling to get lots of ( any!) flowers from these lovely plants
second: the person writing so gleefully  in the AGS bulletin must have been a bit of a splitter - he speaks of 26 types  (and some would even say 34 )  but  the Kew list only recognises 8 names - so it's not as bad  as it seems!

8 failures are nothing like as devastating as 26 ! 

[David Nicholson]

 

[Tim Ingram]

Maggi - that little quote in the Bulletin was actually a bit of a poke at the tendency of alpine gardeners to get obsessed with names and growing lots of plants that are basically the same! (what about snowdrops!). It was part of a series of friendly digs at the way we can get so fascinated by the plants, which can lead others to feel very left out. Even eight sternbergias seems quite a lot; 26 (or 34) is just ridiculous. But they are lovely things when they do flower well, and then, like cyclamen, you just want more and more of them!

To put it in context here are a couple more of the quotes that went with it:

...Suddenly we came out on to broad sweeping moorland under which nestled the crystal pool of the Lac de Fois-gras. I forwent a search for Androsace vandellii on the black marble cliffs which tower above the western margin, for I had visited it there on each of the previous nine summers, as conscientous followers of the footnotes of my nine previous articles will testify.

...Of course, almost any compost will do for seed-sowing as long as certain elementary rules are obeyed. It is not absolutely necessary to visit Co. Offaly to dig the peat oneself, nor should a 5mm. sieve be rigidly adhered to when sifting the peat if only a 6mm. sieve is available. But as in all other disciplines attention to detail certainly pays dividends, and I find that the handling of Ramonda seed is certainly helped by the purchase of an Olympus zoom dissecting microscope, a microbiologist's standard microdissection kit and a slide haemocytometer. The seed should be surface-sterilised before sowing and for this I have found...

(A Society that can poke fun of itself like this is surely onto a good thing!).

[krisderaeymaeker]

I have seen many Sternbergia's on several occasions in Crete and the Pelops ....
And when you look at them on this places , I can assure that the differences between al this forms are very hard to define .....
There so many 'in betweens ' and ' affinis or conforma ' ....
So to me,  many looks like different kind of habitatforms .......but are in fact the same species.
 

[Oron Peri]

Two giant clumps of Sternbergia lutea taken last week in Andalusia, the first has 53 flowers!!

[Maggi Young]

Beyond superb!

[ikizzeki]

Sternbergia clusiana.
I am not good at taking camera and also posting them. At last I succeed it again.
After fadeing Sternbergia luteas, S.clusianas begun to bloom..

[krisderaeymaeker]

Two giant clumps of Sternbergia lutea taken last week in Andalusia, the first has 53 flowers!!

  Superb Oron !   

[pehe]

Two giant clumps of Sternbergia lutea taken last week in Andalusia, the first has 53 flowers!!

Oron, it is always a delight to see Sternbergia flowering in the nature, but these are exceptional!
Thanks for showing us.

Poul

[udo]

Sternbergia clusiana.
I am not good at taking camera and also posting them. At last I succeed it again.
After fadeing Sternbergia luteas, S.clusianas begun to bloom..

ikizzeki,
the Sternbergia clusiana look really nice.
Unfortunately, here they are quite difficult in the culture.

[Gerdk]

I have seen many Sternbergia's on several occasions in Crete and the Pelops ....
And when you look at them on this places , I can assure that the differences between al this forms are very hard to define .....
There so many 'in betweens ' and ' affinis or conforma ' ....
So to me,  many looks like different kind of habitatforms .......but are in fact the same species.
 

Just back from Crete and with the experience of a closer examination of a site with so called Sternbergia greuteriana ( Gipari Gorge) I confirm this entirely. Flower and leaf shape according descriptions  don't seem of any value to differentiate the lutea, sicula, greuteriana complex.

Gerd

[ikizzeki]

ikizzeki,
the Sternbergia clusiana look really nice.
Unfortunately, here they are quite difficult in the culture.

Udo,
Yes ,I am lucky a bit. If you have ever grew Colcichum variegatumand or S. lutea, so S.clusiana too. Because they  have same conditions to grow..

[ikizzeki]

Today I found something interesting with S.lutea. Ther is three flowers on one stem. It is starge isnt it.

[ikizzeki]

Strange S.lutea..Three flowers on  one stem..Is it normal?
I am not good at computer. Yes I posted wrongly, but also can not manage to delete either. sorry for.