Hepatica 2021

[Herman Mylemans]

Herman - the color for the connective in H. americana I would say is in shades of greenish/whitish, most of the time. In any case, not other colors.
Maybe you can see it this americana 'baby' from my garden.

Gabriela, so if the connective is pink but the leaves look like the one from americana. Should I conclude that another nobilis is involved? Or is a pink H. americana different.

[Leena]

Leena, you should make an effort for handpollination!

I know  , but I am rubbish at pollinating so I have given it up. I have tried it with peonies with zero results (with known fertile plants), and they are big plants with which it should be much easier to see when they are ready to accept pollen than with smaller plants, so for me it is just better to enjoy the plants and let bees do pollinating and then sow seeds and hope for the best:).

[Leena]

Hepatica nobilis 'Alba', grown from seeds and a nice clump (there may be more than one seedling in this, I should divide it).
More pictures of H.americana from Gabriela's seeds, first a better picture of the white one.
What I love in these blue H.americana is that there seems to be a paler rim to the flowers, picotee-like, which I have never seen in our native hepaticas.
The last picture is 'Bavarian Blue' planted last spring, doing well.

[Herman Mylemans]

Leena, very nice Hepatica’s. Big clumps are always more beautiful.

[johnw]

A cross by former Haligonian Joe Harvey, it certainly is floriferous for a youngster. Tge cross is H. nobilis dark blue x nobilis good pink.

johnw
15c @ 7:14 AST

[Gabriela]

My most floriferous H. americana, the most advanced in the yard and ready to pop with some sun, I'd say.  (Wild acutiloba ones are only buds.)  This one is from Minnesota/Ontario border wild seed.  A rabbit ate most of the foliage.

Interesting Rick. In this part of Ontario usually H . acutiloba flowers about one week earlier than H. americana (most years).
The rabbits may also eat the flowers after they get the taste for Hepaticas

[Gabriela]

A cross by former Haligonian Joe Harvey, it certainly is floriferous for a youngster. Tge cross is H. nobilis dark blue x nobilis good pink.
johnw
15c @ 7:14 AST

Gorgeous John, why do you keep it in pots?
15C ! I envy you, we are getting ready for the snow here.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, so if the connective is pink but the leaves look like the one from americana. Should I conclude that another nobilis is involved? Or is a pink H. americana different.

Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to say Herman.

[Gabriela]

Hepatica nobilis 'Alba', grown from seeds and a nice clump (there may be more than one seedling in this, I should divide it).
More pictures of H.americana from Gabriela's seeds, first a better picture of the white one.
What I love in these blue H.americana is that there seems to be a paler rim to the flowers, picotee-like, which I have never seen in our native hepaticas.
The last picture is 'Bavarian Blue' planted last spring, doing well.

All beautiful Leena
The picotee blue should be from what I call H. americana #1. I collected seeds from it from the beginning and I describe it the same.There are other smaller plants in the area with the same feature but I like to collect from individual clumps (when possible).
It is indeed a very nice feature, especially for the blue flowered plants.

Few last pictures probably, at least from the wild, some flowers are already fading plus that we'll have winter-like weather till Friday.
The one I call H. americana bicolor, toward the end of flowering


A young cutie.




Problems with uploading, may try later.

[Rick R.]

Interesting Rick. In this part of Ontario usually H . acutiloba flowers about one week earlier than H. americana (most years).

this H. americana  in the yard is quite exposed under a Picea asperata, and where the snow melts quite early.  I am pretty sure it is blooming earlier than in the forests here.  H. acutiloba is much more common this far south, and there aren't any americana nearby that I could check.  But I think your observation would hold true down here, too.

[Herman Mylemans]

Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to say Herman.

Gabriela, The Hepatica's I have with the name Hepatica americana 'Rosea', there the connectives are pink, but the leaves look like Hepatica americana. So I wonder if it is indeed americana or it is a crossing with nobilis.

[Gabriela]

this H. americana  in the yard is quite exposed under a Picea asperata, and where the snow melts quite early.  I am pretty sure it is blooming earlier than in the forests here.  H. acutiloba is much more common this far south, and there aren't any americana nearby that I could check.  But I think your observation would hold true down here, too.

True that more sun exposure makes a big difference. I actually moved one H. americana which would start to flower unusual early because of too much sun (a nearby Carya provides shade later but it takes its time to leaf out in the spring).

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, The Hepatica's I have with the name Hepatica americana 'Rosea', there the connectives are pink, but the leaves look like Hepatica americana. So I wonder if it is indeed americana or it is a crossing with nobilis.

I understand now. Regarding this H. americana 'Rosea' - I didn't want to say anything, but I always thought it is a hybrid (and I've seen others people pictures with it).
Being on the market already I'm sure the name won't be changed.
I don't think someone can distinguish H. americana from H. nobilis after the foliage, it is a character allowing for a lot of variation in size/shape/hairness.

Here's one more close-up with a H. americana flower

[Leena]

The picotee blue should be from what I call H. americana #1. I collected seeds from it from the beginning and I describe it the same.There are other smaller plants in the area with the same feature but I like to collect from individual clumps (when possible).
It is indeed a very nice feature, especially for the blue flowered plants.

Thank you Gabriela, they are very nice!

[Leena]

I got a small piece of this H.transsylvanica two years ago from a friend who had bought it 15 years ago from Stockholm botaniska garden without any other name.
It is very nice. It may be a nameless seedling, but has anyone seen a H.trannsylvanica like this?