Saxifraga 2014

[David Nicholson]

Chris, I've been doing a bit of research. First of all bear in mind that my plant was grown from AGS seed (08/09 4776) so can only be called ex Archdale and the cultivars Sunday name is Saxiraga paniculata 'Archdale' . The plant that Adrian identified as S. 'Canis Dalmatica' has a Sunday name of S x gaudinii 'Canis Dalmatica'. To me there looks to be little difference in the leaf shapes of paniculata and x gaudinii. Having said that I'm no expert.

[ChrisB]

Thanks Dave.  I think I'll label it S. aff. Canis Dalmatica to be on the safe side...  I was given mine by a friend and she had lost it's label....

[adrian young]

Chris, I've been doing a bit of research. First of all bear in mind that my plant was grown from AGS seed (08/09 4776) so can only be called ex Archdale and the cultivars Sunday name is Saxiraga paniculata 'Archdale' . The plant that Adrian identified as S. 'Canis Dalmatica' has a Sunday name of S x gaudinii 'Canis Dalmatica'. To me there looks to be little difference in the leaf shapes of paniculata and x gaudinii. Having said that I'm no expert.

David, the plant Chris showed is quite different to paniculata, you can clearly see the influence of cotyledon in the rosettes
and of of course the intense red spotting on the petals.
Nobody knows if S.Canis Dalmatica is x gaudinii, it is best to call it S.'Canis Dalmatica'

[adrian young]

S.Canis Dalmatica is a very common Silver Sax, universally appreciated for
its ability to survive some adverse conditions.

[ChrisB]

Adrian, the picture you have just put up is exactly like mine, and I see what you mean about its possible relationship with S cotyledon.  I am grateful for your comments.  Thanks!

[Lesley Cox]

Adrian, I think it was you who identified this saxifraga for me some years ago, as S. cotyledon var platyphylla. It came to me in 1973 as I remember, from a Czech gentleman, elderly at that time and from whom I never heard again. We had been swapping seed for a few years until then. I lost mine about 15 years ago and I've never seen it or read of it in any other place so I wonder if anyone else is growing it. I'd dearly love to get a little seed if that were possible. It was a superb potted plant but equally as good as here, on a raised bed, this one edged with limestone blocks.

[adrian young]

Lesley, I wish I could help you, but I have been searching for this cultivar of
S.cotyledon ever since I saw your pics.
I have been to the Czech Rep. many times and can find no one that knows this plant.
Platyphllya simply means "wide leaves", most cotyledon have wide leaves.
So at the moment your cultivar appears to be lost, but I will keep searching.
I also have been trying to find cotyledon forma pyramidalis, I have seen this in the wild,
but it does not come true from seed.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for your comments Adrian. It's interesting that I always thought of mine as having pyramidal stems, so maybe it's not so far from your pyramidalis, especially as on those times when I got seed and seedlings, many were true but a few always were more spread out and open which is why I always propagated cuttings from the tight, very compact plants. The gentleman who sent me the original seed was called Antonin Cernovicky (with pronunciation marks) and at one stage I heard from an American source that he had been arrested by the Russians of the time (mid 70s) and not heard from again but whether this was accurate I don't know. The reason my American source gave was that he was known to have "too many contacts in the West."

[peter hood]

Some of you may be interested in this:Saxifraga moorcroftiana CC7377
Seed from Chris Chadwell sown December 2012.
Several plants have flowered over the last month - no more than two flowers on any plant.
 

[Lesley Cox]

Gorgeous colour Peter but looks as if it would be quite a large (for a sax) plant, and loose. Is it an annual maybe?

[Lesley Cox]

Oddly (re Reply 95) I have some seedlings from last a summer sowing that are almost identical with those above (just small yet but the foliage is the same.) But I don't know what they are. I've had nothing from any source as S. cotyledon and stupidly, I haven't put the source on the label. I don't see how they could be my lost treasure though.

[adrian young]

Oddly (re Reply 95) I have some seedlings from last a summer sowing that are almost identical with those above (just small yet but the foliage is the same.) But I don't know what they are. I've had nothing from any source as S. cotyledon and stupidly, I haven't put the source on the label. I don't see how they could be my lost treasure though.

There are many forms of S.cotyledon in cultivation, it would indeed be a miracle if your seedlings
turned out to be Platyphllya, fingers crossed.

[peter hood]

Gorgeous colour Peter but looks as if it would be quite a large (for a sax) plant, and loose. Is it an annual maybe?

Not an annual, Lesley; it does die back to ground level in the winter though, and it was something of a miracle when the plants reappeared this spring, a year after they first germinated. Now we have to pray for a greater miracle, if they are to reappear next spring. The stems are said (Malcolm McGregor) to be 18-52 cm. but this year the plants are still small - about 15cm.

[Lesley Cox]

Wow Peter, that's very tall for a saxifraga. Good luck with your miracle.

[adrian young]

Peter Nicholson - last year you showed a pic of S. cotyledon Pink form,
you said it was a seedling from S.Archdale. Your new hybrid has turned up in the
trade, although I am assuming it is the same thing.
S. cotyledon Pink form is an invalid name, so it would be useful if you could chose
a name of your liking and I could then register it for you.
If you need any help with the rules regarding naming cultivars, message me.