Hepatica 2021

[Herman Mylemans]

And one of the most interesting find of this spring: a plant with large, multi-white flowers which have a blue eye when opening.
The foliage falls in between americana and acutiloba, like it happened in other occasions, leading more and more to the belief of hybrids between the 2 species.
But I await to see the new foliage, maybe it is more distinct.

Gabriela, indeed an interesting find. I am also curious for the new leaves. Hopefully you can show a picture of the new leaves later.

[Peppa]

I have grown several H. acutiloba from seeds from a wild collected source that my friend kindly sent to me several years ago and they are a very nice blue with a white edge. One year the new leaves of some of these seedlings came up looking more like H. americana (very rounded) and then the next year, they went back to sharp, pointed lobes. I have always suspected that this may be a naturally-occurring hybrid.

[kris]

Hepatica acutiloba flowering in the garden now.
The blue Hepatica acutiloba is a seedling and it has a nice bright colour.
Others are various shades of pink to white.

[Herman Mylemans]

Hepatica acutiloba flowering in the garden now.
The blue Hepatica acutiloba is a seedling and it has a nice bright colour.
Others are various shades of pink to white.

Kris, your acutiloba’s have beautiful colors, especially the pink one.

[Herman Mylemans]

I have grown several H. acutiloba from seeds from a wild collected source that my friend kindly sent to me several years ago and they are a very nice blue with a white edge. One year the new leaves of some of these seedlings came up looking more like H. americana (very rounded) and then the next year, they went back to sharp, pointed lobes. I have always suspected that this may be a naturally-occurring hybrid.

Peppa, have the leaf shapes become more stable with age?

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, indeed an interesting find. I am also curious for the new leaves. Hopefully you can show a picture of the new leaves later.

I will have a picture at some point Herman but don't wait for it; it is a place where I usually visit only twice, spring and fall, because it is not nearby.

[Gabriela]

Nice assortment of acutiloba colors Kris.

Peppa: I also noticed that sometimes the new foliage of young seedlings of H. acutiloba (usually 2 years old seedlings) can resemble those of H. americana. I think it is just a juvenile character.
Same for H. acutiloba fo. diversiloba - it takes a few years for the young plants to develop leaves with extra lobes.

[Peppa]

Nice assortment of acutiloba colors Kris.

Peppa: I also noticed that sometimes the new foliage of young seedlings of H. acutiloba (usually 2 years old seedlings) can resemble those of H. americana. I think it is just a juvenile character.
Same for H. acutiloba fo. diversiloba - it takes a few years for the young plants to develop leaves with extra lobes.

Yes, of course when young the leaves of H. acutiloba are not as pointed as they are when mature, but when I took these pictures, the plant was five years old and it was its second year to bloom. That was 2018. I have attached pictures I took today of the leaves of the same plant and, with the exception of two leaves that are quite rounded, the rest resemble acutiloba for the most part, although when compared to other H. acutiloba, they are not as sharp. This may be within the range in leaf variation of the species, but since I have seen this plant produce rounded leaves for several years (including this year), and none of the other several dozen acutiloba plants of similar age that I am currently growing do this, I am thinking that this is possibly not a pure acutiloba but is in fact a natural hybrid with americana.

[Peppa]

Peppa, have the leaf shapes become more stable with age?

Herman, not entirely. It seems like the plant wants to be H. acutiloba, but it still can't quite decide completely!

[Herman Mylemans]

Herman, not entirely. It seems like the plant wants to be H. acutiloba, but it still can't quite decide completely!

Peppa, what about its offspring or is the plant sterile. You should expect that the leaves of the same plant to look alike or different seedlings have grown into each other.

[Peppa]

Peppa, what about its offspring or is the plant sterile. You should expect that the leaves of the same plant to look alike or different seedlings have grown into each other.

I self-pollinated this plant by hand and sowed the seeds several years ago and this spring one of the seedlings has bloomed. The interesting thing is that the flower is exactly like the parent (blue with white picotee) and two of the leaves look like H. americana. The other un-bloomed seedlings look similar.

[Herman Mylemans]

I self-pollinated this plant by hand and sowed the seeds several years ago and this spring one of the seedlings has bloomed. The interesting thing is that the flower is exactly like the parent (blue with white picotee) and two of the leaves look like H. americana. The other un-bloomed seedlings look similar.

Thank you Peppa, this is interesting to follow up.

[Herman Mylemans]

Some leaves from Hepatica x media:

Hepatica x media ‘Buis’ is sterile.

Hepatica x media 'Blue Jewel' is sterile.

[Carolyn]

Herman,
My hepatica ‘Blue Jewel’ is labelled as transsylvanica, not x media. I don’t get seeds from mine, so I think I agree, it seems sterile. I googled ‘Blue Jewel’ and all the nurseries seem to label it as transsylvanica. So is it the species or a sterile hybrid?

[Herman Mylemans]

Herman,
My hepatica ‘Blue Jewel’ is labelled as transsylvanica, not x media. I don’t get seeds from mine, so I think I agree, it seems sterile. I googled ‘Blue Jewel’ and all the nurseries seem to label it as transsylvanica. So is it the species or a sterile hybrid?

Carolyn, the sterile ‘Blue Jewel’ is a crossing between nobilis and transsilvanica. That means Hepatica x media ‘Blue Jewel’

 See Ashwood Hepatica guide

Or https://shop.alpine-peters.de/produkt-kategorie/hepatica-leberbluemchen/zuechtungen/x-media/

Or http://www.flowercards.de/pdf/Hepatica%20-%20Leberbluemchen.pdf

Carolyn, I don’t know if all the nurseries online are talking about the same plant.