Galanthus: January 2008

[Lesley Cox]

Dear God! After reading through all that lot, I'll be eternally grateful that there are perhaps a dozen or so species/varieties of Galanthus available in NZ, and we aren't obliged to go through all this ridiculous angst about naming - of bulbs which are (come on boys and girls, admit it) little white flowers with a few green markings. Very pretty of course, but still, just little white flowers with a few green markings. I'll go on enjoying my snowdrops in season, and be happy that I have a ( or another) life.

[David Nicholson]

Dear God! After reading through all that lot, I'll be eternally grateful that there are perhaps a dozen or so species/varieties of Galanthus available in NZ, and we aren't obliged to go through all this ridiculous angst about naming - of bulbs which are (come on boys and girls, admit it) little white flowers with a few green markings. Very pretty of course, but still, just little white flowers with a few green markings. I'll go on enjoying my snowdrops in season, and be happy that I have a ( or another) life.

mois ausie

[mark smyth]

Your'e missing the point Paddy. These have got one petal different from the other two

[Paul T]

mois ausie

David,

Not understanding at all but guessing..... you just said "I agree"?  I "think" that mois is me (or I) in french isn't it?

Can definitely tell that Lesley hasn't been infected by the white fever yet!! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Good Morning to you Lesley,

Yes, you are fortunate to be spared the nuisance of the inconsistencies of snowdrop names.

While a certain amount of mis-naming occurs by mistake, confusion or forgetfulness which, while unfortunate, is part and parcel of our human nature, there is also a certain amount of unnecessary mis-naming through cultivars which do not deserve to be named being named and through the deliberate renaming of cultivars to create a market for sellers.  

They are indeed very pretty little white flowers, with their green markings, and if you can enjoy a dozen species/varieties then another could well enjoy two dozen and still happily have a life.

I suppose I came to make this comment from the background of researching Irish snowdrops - those which originated in Ireland or had an Irish connection - and found that several snowdrops were being passed about under several different names. In itself not the end of the world but should these come to be offered commercially as different plants I feel it would be very incorrect. From my own point of interest I simply sought to sort out some of the muddle attached to the naming of Irish snowdrops.

I'm sure you would take a similar interest in the naming of a group of plants which were of interest to you.

Enjoy the snowdrops and my apologies if I upset your day.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

water off a duck's back!

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony, can you tell me what magnification I'd need to see leaf stomata? This is to do with telling if a plant is teraploid (large stomata) or diploid (smaller stomata) and originates from discussions in the galanthus breeding thread, but I'm not sure if you read that thread.

I'm thinking of trying to get hold of a microscope and wondered what magnification would be required to study stomata.

I should remember (roughly) from A-level biology but (for someone who once wanted to be a botanist) I wasn't as attentive as I should have been - I once got marks deducted in an essay for saying that a definition of an animal was that it could "move of its own coition".   

Stomata are usually quite large, so X100 would be more than adequate and an eye piece graticule for measuring would be useful. I must have a look myself. What you need is a 'peel' from the underside to give a transparent single cell layer from the lower epidermis.

[Anthony Darby]

mois ausie

In your case Paul, tois Aussie.

[Paul T]

Two aussies? 

[Paddy Tobin]

Now, Mark, just getting back to you.

I wasn't making a point about your snowdrops or your comments on them, just using your post as an example to follow up on earlier postings re naming etc. to show how easily differences can appear and consequently confusion regard naming.

For example: you obviously have a snowdrop named/labelled in your garden as 'Fred's Giant' that has exhibited features not consistent with the standard description of 'Fred's Giant'. Should you now go off and name that something else, 'Mark's Giant' for example just to pick a name, it could very  probably revert to true form in subsequent years and then there would be two identical plants with different names. Confusion reigns. It just shows how easily differences arise and how easily this could lead to confusion in naming.

Longer assessment times and assessment by people best qualified to do so would eliminate this confusion, some of it at least.

Nonetheless, I'm sure we will all continue to pass around plants with 'unofficial' names - "Mark's Snowdrop" for one I might get from you or "The Belfast Snowdrop" for one which originated in Belfast. It is that these names become attached even though they are not officially recognised names at all. But, perhaps, we would be at a loss without this sideline of interest in our plants. A snowdrop I treasure in my garden I call "Helen's Good One" even though no such named snowdrop is listed anywhere and it is not particularly distinctly marked or different. However, its association with Helen Dillon makes it of interest to me.

Maybe making clear that a name is an unofficial name when passing on plants might be a help.

 
Paddy

[Anthony Darby]

Doesn't 'tois' mean you Paul?

[Maggi Young]

It's moi and toi.... aussi ! Awright?

[Anthony Darby]

Aw shucks Maggi. I was close. Moi ausie means "me also" but to Paul toi Aussie was meant to mean "you Australian".

Anthony, it is 'aussi' .... also, as well, too......not ausie ! M

[Diane Whitehead]

Maybe making clear that a name is an unofficial name when passing on plants might be a help.

Is there an official registrar of Galanthus?

[mark smyth]

Yes there is Diane. It's Matt Bishop. His folder is packed with the smallest detail of all known snowdrops. Here he is in action and pose