Trillium chloropetalum rubrum getting larger every year!

[ArdfearnAli]

Sun is out this morning and so is my Trillium chloropetalum rubrum. Its been in the garden for a good few years and is now naturalising its self quite happily. This is one of two large clumps now and I reckon I have 100 plus seedlings from newly germinated to flowering size popping up everywhere. They all have excellent leaf markings and are very dark red. Could it be Trillium kurabayashii. Not sure what the difference is?

Alasdair

[Maggi Young]

Something to do with the length of the anthers over the style - but not sure which is which! In cultivation there are so many hybrids, who knows!??

[ArdfearnAli]

Thanks Maggi,
    when it gets down to needing a magnifying glass to tell them apart I give up and grow them because I like them. Hope the weather warmer with you. We had a cold wet day yesterday but today dare I say it feels almost like spring? If only the cold east wind would go away.  Hope to see you at the Aberdeen show. I have some deep purple Hepatica seedlings for you and Ian. It is from the one he admired when he popped in the other day. I found them at the base of the plant so pricked them out into a pot.

Alasdair

[Maggi Young]

Will go and  search the books to see exactly what the difference is - must make the effort or I get idle!
 Dark hepaticas sound lovely - the darker ones can look like velvet, can't they?


 Hmm.... Ian beat me to it - cannot find a real definition!  That lets  me off the hook!

[David Nicholson]

Is this what you were looking for Maggi a post from Greenspan November 22 2016?

""i guess i found a sure and quite easy method to differentiate between Trillium chloropetalum <-> Trillium kurabayashii. i checked the Trillium key in "the flora of north america" to find remarkable characteristics. according to the key with focus on differences in filaments and ovary, i made a fotocollage to show the differences which should be checked easily by everyone. the legend is in german, but should be understand. the chloropetalum foto was taken of a plant in my garden (wrongly thought to be a kurabayashii), the kurabayashii foto was found in internet. i tried to find a foto of a plant described as taken in the wild in an area where kurabayashii is native (as i remember it was taken in oregon). the kurabayashii foto fits all filament + ovary characteristics from the Trillium key. the main difference is the length of the filament...in chloropetalum the ratio between length of filaments is about the double of the length of the ovary, in kurabayshii the ratio is about equal. the length of the connective (the short appendix after the pollensacs; in kurabayashii absent or very short, in chloropetalum about 1,5 mm) could be a second characteristic as an addition to the main difference of the filament-ovary-ratio.""

[Maggi Young]

Well done, David - I knew it must be somewhere!
And here is the photo from Greenspan's post....

[ArdfearnAli]

Many thanks for the help David and Maggi.
I checked this morning and it looks like chloropetalum rubrum. The one I have in my garden I selected for its very large an very deep red/purple flowers. In bud they almost look black. They all have excellent leaf markings as well. It is doing very well where it is. It seems to be very strong and is a prolific seeder. If you would like a couple of  young plants to try please let me know.

Alasdair

[P. Kohn]

Great to have the difference clarified but I wish I had known this ten years ago. I am still not sure whether what we were growing at Kerrachar was T. kurabayashii but at least I can check out the plants in Sheffield. Excing to have TRilliums self-seeding Ali.

[ArdfearnAli]

The bed they are in tends to be left undisturbed with no hoeing etc. I think this is why they are establishing so well. Its pretty full of erythronium as well as trillium. It also has a Sorbus cashmeriana and quite a few other plants including a massive Gunnera which is in the wrong place but I don't have the heart or energy to lift it. The seed seems to germinate readily in the bed. It could be that its being sown fresh and not drying out and as its not being disturbed manages to establish and grow well.


Alasdair

[Maggi Young]

Always amazes me that  there are those who complain their plants do not self-seed and then admit that they hoe regularly!  There's often a clue!   There hasn't been a hoe used in our garden for forty years!

[ArdfearnAli]

I agree,
          Sometimes you need to hoe to get on top of annuals but once you do a decent mulch helps a lot. I am afraid I am going to have to get the hoe out this year as I am redoing a very long border. The half I have done looks pretty clean just now but I am just waiting for a mad germination of weeds as I have just turned it over. I just don't have the time to hand weed it. Its 15-20 feet deep and must be 160ft long! Going to take a lot of mulch but I'm going to be able to plant a lot of nice plants in it once I get all the roots out. Its getting there now spring has arrived
Alasdair

[Maggi Young]

Got me there, Ali - it's true it's easier for those of us with smaller areas to keep!  Thanks for the offer of  the trillium babies- gratefully received!

[ArdfearnAli]

No probs Maggi,
                       Will try and remember to lift a few for you and bring to Aberdeen SRGC. Problem I have is getting enough time at this time of year to get on top of weeding. At least its been dry the last while which helps a lot.
Alasdair