Lilium 2016

[Tony Willis]

Lilium speciosum from wild seed

[partisangardener]

I thank everybody for comforting me. It is a beauty I agree.
This perfect flower is 23 cm across so I doubt a wild one.  It is now still open without a flaw as the pictures show. Very wide and perfect symmetrical. The perfume is too strong for a room so it stays in the garden.

This plant set seed pollinated with pollen from the real thing. Thanks Dick. The main part of your pollen went to a friend here in Germany whose plant flowers just now out in the garden for the second time. 6 flowers.  If it works we will share seeds with you.
http://forum.garten-pur.de/index.php/topic,52005.1065.html
I have here some Pollen (ready to freeze) to be sent to you.

Here is the fruit of my hybrid just now. Of course you will get a share If you like.

@ Tony my supposed Hybrid looks very similar to your flower. How big is the flower?

[Leena]

I have been cleaning seeds to send to the seed exchange. I have one old Lilium x martagon hybrid, I have gotten it from my mother-in-law, who remembers it when she was a child in the 1930s. Similar lilies have also been found elsewhere in Finland. It is very tall, about 2 meters or more (not only in my garden, but also in the gardens of my friends to whom I have given it). It starts to flower about two weeks later than normal L.martagon.
I was wondering how I should call it when I send the seeds to the seed ex? Would it be ok to call it L.x martagon "Sauvo", according to place where it was growing when my mother- in-law was a child and where I got it? Of course it is possible, that it has hybridized with martagons I also grow, so the seeds may not produce similar than the mother plant, but I don't know how easily these hybridize by themselves.

[Leena]

I have white Lilium martagon, which stays white while it flowers, but I also have another old Lilium from Finland, which is at least 50 years old, and comes from the west coast of the middle of Finland. It's flowers open white but very soon they turn cream colored. It flowers the same time as white and pink martagon lilies.

[partisangardener]

I have near my home a forest where white, cream white and white with faint pink dots grow together with hundreds of normal ones. Its a natural population, but at most places here, there are only pink ones with variable dots.

[Carolyn]

Leena,
I think you should send the cream martagon seeds in with the description you have given, and Ian & Carole will sort out how to name it. I will certainly be requesting some of these seeds, what a beautiful lily!

[Leena]

Thanks Carolyn, I will do that.
It is interesting that in Germany there are wild martagons in different shades.

[Tristan_He]

Leena that [Sauvo] is a beautiful lily, but I think it is a hybrid rather than pure martagon - possibly L. x dalhansonii?

I wish I could grow it but my conditions do not seem to suit martagons.

Best, Tristan

[partisangardener]

What I wanted to mention is there are pure Martagons with this colour.
Here are some variations of this forest to be seen. The cream coloured is on the third page. Most others on the first page.
http://forum.garten-pur.de/index.php/topic,41320.0.html

[Tristan_He]

What I wanted to mention is there are pure Martagons with this colour.

Hi, yes I meant the Sauvo not the white one. Have modified my original post to make this clear.

Best, Tristan

[partisangardener]

I think the cream coloured one might be a true martagon. But nonetheless I would just label yours a old garden form of martagon.
Very beautiful lilies in great shape.

[Leena]

Thank you Tristan and Axel, this helps me with labeling the seeds.

[Tristan_He]

Leena my advice would be to label seed as 'Lilium division II hybrid, robust pale orange' or similar. Looking at some online pictures your lily could be something like 'Paisley Hybrid', 'Marhan' or 'Terrace City'. Or it could be a unique hybrid. Whatever it is, it's very good , and I'm willing to bet it involves both L. martagon and L. hansonii though (admittedly this is not a very daring bet!  ).

Best, Tristan

[Chrish]

I am looking for a bulk (or seed) of L brownie
Does anyone know a source of them. Have spent a lot of time looking but to no avail...
Thanks

[Leena]

Tristan, in fact this lily is called marhanlilja in Finnish (marhan lily)  , but as it is an old cultivar, it can't be 'Marhan' or how old is 'Marhan'?
It is very vigorous, and tall, as tall as my delphiniums. It comes up in the spring even earlier than martagon lilies, and even when there can be quite severe frosts in the spring, they don't damage this lily.