Fritillaria 2020/21 season

[colin e]

Maggi the Fritillaria persica OP213063 are all seed grown as is one of the sewerzowii. The other sewerzowii was a bought bulb which always flowered at gravel level in the greenhouse and by the time it extended the flowers were going over. So that is why it went in first and it has done better in the bulb bed so far. But I think all the Frits will be tested this year with the weather that has been forecast!

Colin

[Maggi Young]

You may well be right about the  "testing" weather, Colin!

[Jeffnz]

Read somewhere that Chinese and English scientist have i observed that wild F. delavayi have been converting to less bright leaves, their explanation is that the species is targeted by collectors and the change is to hide the plants from prying eyes.
Never considered that plants were so cleaver at taking on human predators.

[Tristan_He]

Hi Jeff, I think it's selection rather than the plants themselves changing. The collectors take whichever ones they can see, and as the more colourful ones are easier to spot, these get collected leaving the more cryptic ones behind. Over time this means that the population consists mainly of crytic forms.

Best wishes, Tristan

[Jeffnz]

Tristan
Found the article.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/20/chinese-flower-fritillaria-delavayi-evolved-less-visible-pickers\
Seems to be authentic' scientists'

[Tristan_He]

Hi Jeff, yes that's the one, I remember seeing it too. It's common for people to write about 'evolving' as though it is an active thing / conscious choice, as in the Guardian article, which implies individual plants changing.  But if you click on the link to the paper in the journal you will see that the abstract makes clear that it's selective pressure on the population driving evolution (i.e. colourful fritillaries being removed).

Although I would rather the frits weren't being collected, these processes never cease to cause wonder to me. And I suspect that if harvesting were prevented, the brightly coloured form would bounce back over time, because it will be more visible to pollinators.

Quite a few frits have multiple colour forms, I wonder if and how different selective pressures apply on wild populations of these?
 
Best wishes, Tristan

[Tristan_He]

I have a question for Fritillaria growers - the last couple of seed exchanges there has been a plant listed as 'F. pyrenaica pale form'. I have a couple of potfuls of 1+ and 2+ seedlings of this coming on and am curious what to expect - is this the yellow form or a pale purple form? Is the donor out there or anyone who has grown this to flowering size?

Thanks! Tristan

[colin e]

I did try some pots of bulbs in the fridge in an attempt to delay growth but one of my flowering sized bulbs of Fritillaria verticillata Urdzhar showed its displeasure by rotting and leaving only a small daughter bulb in the pot. So they all came out and the other Fritillaria verticillata Urdzhar is now in flower (pictured below). Lastly I got this bulb sold as Fritillaria albiflora (but to my knowledge there no such species) last year and it is flowering well. Lets hope I can keep it going and find out what I should be calling it.

Colin

[colin e]

It has turned mild here and things are now moving. Going to the bulb bed, Fritillaria sewerzowii Black Bear has been in the bed since 2018 and as said before, getting larger. The picture below gives some idea of size with my finger in it and the square topped label in between is 2cm wide. Last autumn I put a spare bulb of what sold to me as Fritillaria anhuiensis in 2017 into the bulb bed (pictured below). I do not know if it is because I have not got it to flower yet but it does bulk up quite well. In the greenhouse the second striata is looking good and the gibbosas are getting going - a couple pictured below.

Colin

[annew]

It has turned mild here and things are now moving. Going to the bulb bed, Fritillaria sewerzowii Black Bear has been in the bed since 2018 and as said before, getting larger. The picture below gives some idea of size with my finger in it and the square topped label in between is 2cm wide. Last autumn I put a spare bulb of what sold to me as Fritillaria anhuiensis in 2017 into the bulb bed (pictured below). I do not know if it is because I have not got it to flower yet but it does bulk up quite well. In the greenhouse the second striata is looking good and the gibbosas are getting going - a couple pictured below.

Colin

Wow that F striata really makes an artist's eye pop!
Our first Frit is F. alburyana, a gift from a friend who was moving house.

[Yann]

Fritillaria davisii, also an early species, in the wild it's often faded end of february.

[Ophrys]

Dear Yann,

thank you for the good photos. I have Fritilaria since several years. It is growing well and is setting offspring, but it never flowered until now.

[Yann]

Sometimes blooming doesn't happen because of temperatures. Patience is require but i'll bloom one day!!

Fritillaria caucasica, young bulbs from Kurt Vickery seeds, first time flowering.

[colin e]

Anne Wright very nice Fritillaria alburyana.

Colin

[colin e]

Finally in the greenhouse, Fritillaria kotschyana which is also going to flower in the front grass again this year. It is not open yet but if I leave it till it opens ether a slug or bird will of had a go at it. Which they have already done to Fritillaria davisii by taking the buds off. In the bulb bed Fritillaria crassifolia ex JJA17242 has produced a flower. This is its second year in this outside bed.