Pulsatilla 2015

[Rick R.]

Those last pics of endemic French Pulsatilla varieties are giving me hope of finding out what this mystery pulsatilla is.  From the SRGC seed ex, the seed was wild collected in Sweden, labeled as P. pratensis ssp. nigricans ...but, obviously not that.  Until now, I didn't know any pulsatilla had such fine, needle like foliage that laid on the soil surface.  So any suggestions for the identity of these?

[Tim Ingram]

Rick - this looks very like a marvellous small form of P. vulgaris that I have grown under the subspecies name gotlandica; very deep inky violet flowers and the finest of cut foliage virtually at ground level. I had seed of this originally from Richard Bird but I'm not sure where he obtained it - it looks close to the native British form of P. vulgaris which is much smaller and deeply coloured than cultivated forms. We almost lost this after growing and selling many from the nursery but have just one plant beginning to flower again on the sand bed so hope we will be able to raise more again.

(I think the seed may originally have come from Gothenberg Botanic Garden because I know Richard obtained seed from there).

[Darren]

an acid soil lover Pulsatilla alpina ssp. apiifolia, sowed in august 2012, this seedling flowered now in may 2015, peat soil with sandy grit + lava, watering from time to time with acid water plus some fluid fertilizer for ericaceae plants (rain water plus some vinegar -> ph~3,5)

(Attachment Link)   (Attachment Link)

One of my favourites!

I find it doesn't need acid conditions at all in the garden. Mine grow in silty soil between limestone rubble in our garden - soil pH is 7.7.

[greenspan]

i tried to grow P. alpina ssp. apiifolia in the past years and had never success to establish it for a longer time. i used sandy-humus rich soil (without lime). all plants passed away over the years, one plant remained, guess about 5 years old but never flowered. only when i started to use pure peat with non calcareous grit to stabilize the soil i had success. my aim is to keep the soil acid to prevent rotting as this happened in the past years. now i had no more losses, the plants grow quick from seedling size to nearly adult plants in the past 3 years, looking very healthy + as you see the first plant flowered. it's simple to make acid water. i have a 200 L/53 gal rain barrel + mix some vinegar or sulphur acid till ph ~3,5, that's all. i use this also for P. vernalis, P. sugawarai + P. taraoi + stopped rotting especially with taraoi. but i have to say that i have no luck to establish P. occidentalis in this soil. all seedlings rotted quite quick after transplanting...it's a real bastard for me . a few occidentalis germinated this year, using pure peat + i keep the soil acid and they grow, showing their first leaves, but let's see what will happen, when i prick them out from tray. Pulsatilla aurea germinated this year in the same soil condition, keeping acid also + they grow quick + look good as you can see here



@rick

i agree with tim, that your plants should be P. vulgaris var. gotlandica. grey-wilson put it to P. grandis, but i stay at vulgaris.

[Maggi Young]

Those last pics of endemic French Pulsatilla varieties are giving me hope of finding out what this mystery pulsatilla is.  From the SRGC seed ex, the seed was wild collected in Sweden, labeled as P. pratensis ssp. nigricans ...but, obviously not that.  Until now, I didn't know any pulsatilla had such fine, needle like foliage that laid on the soil surface.  So any suggestions for the identity of these?

Rick, the most recent offering I can find in the SRGC seedlists for  P. pratensis ssp. nigricans from wild coll. seed  is from the 64th  list for 2010-20111 - No. 5248 - where it is listed as being collected in Austria. This puts a  different perspective on  the question, I think, if that is the collection your plants came from.

[greenspan]

maybe the seed collector made a mistake? i found this swedish website "den virtuella floran" with all native Pulsatilla species in sweden...vernalis, vulgaris, pratensis + patens. here the vulgaris site. this vulgaris photo looks similar to rick's plants. so better to say P. vulgaris (from sweden). the gotland variety, as the name says, occurs only on gotland.

[Rick R.]

Thanks Tim, Maggi and Greenspan!

My apologies to the SRGC: the seed came from the NARGS seed ex, from a donor in Germany who recorded the seed collection from Oeland, Sweden.  The donor collected both partensis and vulgaris from that island that year, and a mix-up could have happened at multiple stages along the way.

I am happy with the more generic ID of P. vulgaris from Oeland, Sweden. The similarity with var. gotlandica might not be unusual there (?), as the Oeland is only 50 miles from Gotland...

[Hoy]

Rick,

according to Mossberg's Nordic Flora P. vulgaris gotlandica is very similar to P. vulgaris vulgris in Sweden. The differences are that var gotlandica has slightly shorter and broader leaf segments, lighter colour of the flower and a stouter stem. It has an easterly distribution and the nearest population is in Estonia.

It's easier to see when the plants are more developed later in the season.


 PS. To make it more difficult - all the species seem to cross a little in Sweden!

[Hoy]

Hmm, interesting: if flowers before leaves is the distinguishing characteristic of patens, the Illinois Wildflowers photos certainly show vulgaris.

The color of Pulsatilla patens that you have is the same color we have here.

Hope to hear from others.

It Scandinavia the main difference is that patens flowers before the leaves develop. Moreover the bracts of patens are cut 2/3 down but in vulgaris right down.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

First flower on Pulsatilla rubra ssp hispanica

[Tim Ingram]

Wonderful depth of colour Luc! Will definitely be looking out for wild collected seed of Pulsatilla species in coming years.

[greenspan]

great plant luc. do you know where the seed was collected (pyrenees, picos de europa)? do you have more plants for good seed setting? the rubra ssp. hispanica is my plant of desire.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks Tim and Greenspan (?).

It comes from the Picos originally and it sets seed freely every year.  Let me know if you're interested.

[Tim Ingram]

Luc - I would be very interested in seed. I imagine, like other pulsatillas, fresh sown seed can germinate rapidly. I hope also that our Kent AGS Groups might arrange a visit to your's and other alpine gardens sometime - I must talk to some other members.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Luc - I would be very interested in seed. I imagine, like other pulsatillas, fresh sown seed can germinate rapidly. I hope also that our Kent AGS Groups might arrange a visit to your's and other alpine gardens sometime - I must talk to some other members.

I'll make a note for the seed Tim, I'll send it to you as soon as harvested.  Just send me a pm with your exact address.
As to a visit to my garden, obviously you would be welcome, but don't get overexcited it's not as big as you might think...