Pulsatilla 2015

[David Nicholson]

What a beautiful drawing Trond.

[Diane Clement]

Hi Diane,  I have (or rather had) a very good memory and what I said is true - I spoke for myself although I didn't say it clearly. My great grandfather was a keen observer of nature and he had a big library. My grandmother learnt a lot from him including Latin plant names and I learnt them from her! (None of us bothered checking the validity though )

Very interesting, Hoy.  I did wonder for how long Linneaus' names were still used, as Miller's revision came very quickly after the first publication from Linneaus, but perhaps they were not widely accepted.  Lovely to see the old drawings, thanks for posting them.

[Tim Ingram]

This is becoming quite an interesting discussion - we have an old pre-Linnaean 'Natural History' which I must look at more closely . Room for debate between figures such as Linnaeus and Miller!

This is the frontespiece from a book on the native British flora written by Walter Ingwersen which also refers to Anemone pulsatilla (actually it is quite stylised and looks more like Pulsatilla vernalis to me), so usage of Anemone does have historical following by gardeners and nurserymen too. I prefer Miller's use of Pulsatilla because if both this and Hepatica and other closely related less well known genera are placed back into Anemone there is loss of information (that is if they would still be regarded as distinct subgenera within Anemone). The fact that there are genera such as Oreithales, Barneoudia, Knowltonia and Metanemone makes me interested in them - actually I don't know much if anything about any of these!. If they are all placed back into Anemone I would know rather less about these related plants than I do now (in fact I wouldn't even know anything about them at all unless I was a student of Anemone), even if scientifically there was more evolutionary accuracy about the designation (and I imagine there would be continuing debate about this!). But I speak as a gardener and nurseryman, and we tend to prefer more names rather than less! If I was a botanist studying and describing the Ranunculaceae I would probably view them differently, and possibly more as herbarium specimens rather than living plants of interest to grow and propagate. This all becomes quite philosophical and along the way you probably end up learning a lot more about the plants and still end up arguing about the names . (The book I use now is 'Flowering Plant Families of the World' by Heywood et al published by Kew in 2007, which still refers to Pulsatilla, but this is an overall compilation of nomenclatural information based on the most up to date research, but always subject to detailed modification).

[Hoy]

David,

Yes, some of the drawings are very beautiful but some are rather primitive!

[Hoy]

Diane,

I don't know how long the names were in use, but I think the last to be changed where Anemone hepatica, at least in books here. Probably the authors had their own view.

[Hoy]

Tim,

I don't like name changes but I do understand why it is done!

Here are some pictures of plants I wouldn't recognize as anemones at first glance: Barneoudia major from Argentina. Unfortunately the flowers had not opened when we found them. Probably just one but it can be two species. They are from different sites.

[Karaba]

Here what i wrote in an other thread.
There is a taxonomic explanation about Pulsatilla and Anemone in Flora Gallica : separating Pulsatilla (and Hepatica) from Anemone need, from a phyllogenetic point of view, the separation of other subgenus like Anemoloides (nemorosa, apennina, ranunculoides...), Homalocarpus (narcissiflora).... Pulsatilla and Hepatica are now subgenus of Anemone and it seems to be accepted by many taxonomist.
See Hoot & al. 2012  or Schuettpelz & al., 2002
It seems easier to rename back Pulsatilla and Hepatica as Anemone than to split the whole Anemone genus in numerous genus.

[Tim Ingram]

Yes there is logic in that Yvain! I started life as a scientist (plant physiologist), became a gardener, and now am becoming more of a botanist again! (I know a lot more about Anemone now than I did a while ago - the genus obviously deserves a good monograph directed at gardeners too).

[alanelliott]

I did a Botanics Story http://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/14827 and used images of the Anemones, I mean Pulsatillas, we grow at the Botanics that are mentioned in the Nordic J Bot. paper but ultimately didnt use any names because I'm sure two of the three are misidentified - a far worse crime than a nomenclatural/taxonomic change. Oh woe.

Just ignore them Fermi

To paraphrase David you dont have to follow anyone's Taxonomy. I've said it before and I'll say it again the use of plant names is democratic. You call them what you like, think its best, or know. Joining the dots to work out what something is is half the fun...

[Susann]

I hope you are not fed up with Pulsatilla pictures?
Today a friend and I made an excursion to some localities in our area. Pulsatilla vernalis was at its best, but there is only one or with good luck two or three plants in each locality. Some of them had hundreds of plants less than ten years ago. It is so sad. But with no cows or sheep pasting the pine forrests it gets to dense and to mossy for them to multiply. We had a hug fire in the forrests upnorth last summer. It is in P vernalis land, so hopefully there will be plenty of them in some year. They are really favoured by fire.

The Pulsatilla vulgaris are just about to begin to flower. In our most famous locality there are well over 200 000 flowers ( not plants, though) The place is kept open by pasting bulls. Unfortunally I will not be able to go back  when it is in full glory. So you´ll have to do with these pictures.



This one is dedicated to "Astragalus"




I would also like to tell a beautiful story my friend told me today. We have two rivulets just outside my village. The both begin on the very same hill not far away from here. One spring on each side of the hill. The rivulets decided to compete; who would be the first to reach the sea? One of them, Silverån, found the lake Hulingen and thought it was the sea so he happily yelled: "I won; I won!". The other rivulet, Stångån, was already much further down south and got very disappointed so he decided to make a sharp turn and go back norht to find the sea.  He even past the spring of origin in his search for his friend and the sea. He didn´t find the sea either but ended up in a lake upnorth.

[Hoy]

Susann, could neither of them read a map

Regarding Pulsatilla vernalis, where we have our mountain cabin it was huge areas of this plant down in the valley when my father-in-law grew up but now they're all gone. I have introduced some at our cabin and keep the shrubs and tree seedlings away so they have started to spread around themselves.

When is the best time to see the flowering of backsippa at its best?

[Susann]

The best time for "backsippa"? This year it is right now,  today, in my area. I really wish I had time to go and enjoy them. In the very south ( Skåne) they are probably over already.

Normally is is about three weeks later when they are at their best, but spring is really early this year. Other years we still have snow these dates.

Regarding the rivulets; you know about youngsters. They don´t have the patience to listen to advice or read maps. They just go for it.

[greenspan]

a quite small type of Pulsatilla rubra  this very dark form is called Pulsatilla rubra var. rubra f. nigella and is endemic in a small area nearby the village Rix/France. hight at the moment 10-11 cm (bracts), flower diameter 3 cm, flower tubular facing upwards when starting to flower, then sidewards bowl-shaped, not nodding (till now). some more buds will flower the next days, if weather stay warm.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Very nice. A couple here at the moment: Pulsatilla halleri, a recent acquisition, and a happy clump of Pulsatilla vulgaris.

[astragalus]

Thanks, Susann.  We normally would have Pulsatillas in bud by now but we are quite late with everything this year.  A lingering winter and still having some hard frosts. but not every night.