Flowers and foliage February 2008

[Paddy Tobin]

There you have it Ashley, from Mark. I think it is nice and grows well with good drainage.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

I remember you showing us this last year, Mark, when Lesley and I both yelped "Virus!!" To me, both those flowers look virused, and the leaves of both seem to be showing signs of virus too. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

[Maggi Young]

I agree, too many stripey marblings for my liking..... they'd be OUT here, even if they are pretty!

added later..... I suppose there is a clue in the name Iris Kilbroney Marble which suggest it has been around for a while to get the name and be distributed as such....I would still be worried about the virus spreading though, as Lesley says in a  later post....

[Martin Baxendale]

Yes, very pretty. Shame about the virus.

[Lesley Cox]

I have to endorse the virus comments. Remember, viruses don't stay confined to single plants or single species. Even if this iris is strong enough to withstand the assault, others which may become inffected could succumb totally. GET RID OF IT!

[John Forrest]

Lovely Anacamptis Anthony. Wish I still had mine. 

[Anthony Darby]

John, I will have a spare when they become dormant?

[ashley]

'Kilbroney Marble' and a Devon form

Thanks Mark & Paddy.  It's unusual and rather attractive all right. 
However I won't take the risk, having had to destroy some appallingly virused bulbs from 'reputable sources' already this season 

[Hans J]

For all friends of jungle plants :



 

[Gerdk]

just from today

1. Primula sibthorpii - white from the Pontus range/Turkey

2. Solaria atropururea - black 

Gerd

P.S.
Hans, this is a serious forum! 

[David Shaw]

What I am not clear about with this iris question is, how can a virused plant be propogated and come true to form?
I understand that Iris Kilbroney Marble is commercially available and so there must be hundreds of them out there all looking exactly the same. Surely a virus would create different patterns on different plants?

[Maggi Young]

Welll, are they EXACTLY the same ?? .. .....they're more likely just similar enough to fool our eye into thinking they are the same.... like snowdrops!!  If one looks at the virussed tulips that have been in commerce for donkey's years... none are actually identical, they all vary... just that the pattern is similar enough to gi ve the impression of uniformity in chaos......I know, (as Ibrahim I think it was who explained) about the so-called "stable" tulips which are not supposed to pass their virus.... but I for one am not convinced of that stability. Just because a plant has enough strength to avoid immediate death from a virus, or has evolved a modus vivendi with a virus, and said virus SEEMS not to migrate to other species or genera, I  still fear that there IS a risk of transfer.... after all, isn't the whole nature of a virus to be able to change, adapt, mutate almost infinitely?    In my book that makes  these virus bearing plants a risk too far for me.  As to the fact that commercial growers have grown some of these virussed varieties  en masse for many years.... some of those big growers have had the most catastrophic crop failures on other plants.... could this entirely be coincidence ? I don't think so. Of course it is possible to have a crop failure of varying degrees for all sorts of reasons but I am pessimistic enough to worry about the wider implications of these so-called stable virus carrying  varieties 

[Martin Baxendale]

What I am not clear about with this iris question is, how can a virused plant be propogated and come true to form?
I understand that Iris Kilbroney Marble is commercially available and so there must be hundreds of them out there all looking exactly the same. Surely a virus would create different patterns on different plants?

But the same situation applies with tulips whose colour breaks are caused by virus and are stable enough for them to be progagated and sold as clones. I guess it's when a plant is strong enough to live with the virus and isn't killed by it that you get a plant that can be propagated and sold as a stable, growable (but potentially infectious!) named clone.

[Gerdk]

just from today

1. Primula sibthorpii - white from the Pontus range/Turkey

2. Solaria atropururea - black 

Gerd

P.S.
Hans, this is a serious forum! 

Sorry, it seems I become somewhat clumsy, here are the pics!

Gerd

It seems I

[Hans J]

mhhhh Gerd - yes it is a serious forum 
but we can not see pics with a magic cup .....

maybe the "next Uri Geller" is from Solingen ?