Sowing Paris - any advice ?

[Kristl Walek]

Robin,
Thank you. That was very useful---and before seeing your reply that is what my intuition told me to do. After the appearance of the cotyledon, can I then also assume that subsequent cold will again be required before the first leaf appears?

Kristl

[Robin Callens]

So what do the other Paris cotyledons look like?

Paul,

I posted some pictures of cotyledons of other Paris species in message nr 74 of this thread, page 5,
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2492.msg83191#msg83191

After the appearance of the cotyledon, can I then also assume that subsequent cold will again be required before the first leaf appears?

Kristl,

yes, the cotyledon stays untill winter arrives and the first true leaf appears in the following spring.

Robin

[Paul T]

Thanks Robin, I'd forgotten about those.  So the cotyledons look a lot like many of the second year leaves of Trilliums then, although probably a bit smaller.  Fascinating to have details like that.  Thanks again.

[gote]

Hi all,

The genus Paris is divided in 4 sections. One of them is the section 'Paris' with species as P. quadrifolia, incompleta, verticillata, bashanensis and tetraphylla. They all have slender branching rhizomes, axile placentation and a non-dehiscent berry. When sown they germinate after 2 years. As Göte said, the cotyledons of P. quadrifolia ressemble those of Trillium.

Paris quadrifolia cotyledons
Paris incompleta cotyledons
Trillium chloropetalum cotyledons

I stand corrected.
I meant "unlike the other genera" meaning that I accept  Paris japonica as Kinugasa japonica and the Daisvas as a separate genus.
I grow something that I bougt at the Gothenburg botanical garden as Paris hexaphylla that perhaps should be added to the list.
It looks like a quadrifolia but a mature plant will have six leaves. It is not as good doer in my place as the native quadrifolia and I think I posted a picture this spring.
Cheers
Göte   

[Robin Callens]

Göte,

I went back to see your picture of Paris hexaphylla in the thread 'flowering now - may 2009' reply 37 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3510.msg91133#msg91133). I read somewhere that P. hexaphylla is a synonym for P. verticillata and it certainly looks like verticillata.

regards,

Robin

[gote]

Göte,

I went back to see your picture of Paris hexaphylla in the thread 'flowering now - may 2009' reply 37 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3510.msg91133#msg91133). I read somewhere that P. hexaphylla is a synonym for P. verticillata and it certainly looks like verticillata.

regards,

Robin

Personally I have no idea. It looks more like a six leaf quadrifolia than the verticillatas I have seen but this may have local reasons.
However, Flora of China gives you right but the confusion seems near-total.  http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF24/paris.pdf
My only book on the subject is in Chinese so it would take me too long time to lok it up. I would have believed that the guys and dolls at Gothenburg would have known 
I suppose this is another case of splitter's/lumper's paradise. 
Cheers
Göte

 

[Robin Callens]

Hi all,

I noticed that I wrote a mistake in reply 118. A little bit of botany to make it right:
the genus Paris is divided in 2 subgenera: Subgenus Daiswa and subgenus Paris.
There are 5 (not 4!) sections within the 2 subgenera: 3 sections (Euthyra, Thibeticae and Axiparis) within subgenus Daiswa and 2 sections (Paris and Kinugasa) within subgenus Paris.

All the species of subgenus Daiswa have a tick rhizome and an angular ovary.
The 3 sections differ in placentation type, fruit type and aril type:
Section Euthyra contains species with:

• parietal placentation (seeds develop on the wall of the one-chambered seed capsule)
• a dehiscent seed capsule (splits open when ripe)
• white seeds that are fully covered with a red-orange aril

Section Thibeticae contains one species (Paris thibetica) with:

• parietal placentation
• a dehiscent seed capsule
• black seeds that are partially covered with a red-orange aril

Section Axiparis contains species with:

• axillary placentation (seeds develop around a center that divides the capsule in different chambres)
• a non-dehiscent (doesn't split open when ripe but falls of the plant) seed capsule or berry
• white seeds that are covered with an imperfect ('spongy') aril

All the species of subgenus Paris have axillary placentation and seeds without aril.
The 2 sections differ in rhizome type, fruit type and ovary shape:

Section Paris contains species with:

• a slender rhizome
• a berry
• a rounded ovary

Section Kinugasa contains one species (Paris japonica) with:

• a thick rhizome
• a non-dehiscent capsule and seeds with an elaiosoom (see photo in reply 111: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2492.105)
• a angular ovary

subgenus Daiswa - section Euthyra: Paris polyphylla var chinensis (flower)
subgenus Daiswa - section Euthyra: Paris polyphylla var chinensis (fruit)
subgenus Daiswa - section Euthyra: Paris polyphylla var chinensis (seeds without aril)
subgenus Daiswa - section Thibeticae: Paris thibetica (flower)
subgenus Daiswa - section Thibeticae: Paris thibetica (fruit)
subgenus Daiswa - section Axiparis: Paris axialis (flower)
subgenus Daiswa - section Axiparis: Paris axialis (fruit)
subgenus Daiswa - section Axiparis: Paris axialis (fruit and seeds)

[Robin Callens]

Hi all,

some more pics to illustrate the above:

subgenus Daiswa: thick rhizome (of Paris delavayi)
subgenus Paris - section Paris: slender rhizome (of Paris incompleta)
subgenus Paris - section Paris: Paris incompleta (flower)
subgenus Paris - section Paris: Paris incompleta (berry)
subgenus Paris - section Kinugasa: Paris japonica (flower)

[ranunculus]

Totally fascinating, Robin. Many thanks for posting.

[Tony Willis]

Robin

great information and pictures,thank you

[ian mcenery]

Robin thanks very informative in an area where there is little information available. Thank you for posting

[Maggi Young]

Robin, Ian and I agree with all the comments above..... too little info about these plants .... now you are filling the gap! Well done!

[Paul T]

Excellent info, Robin.  Thanks.  I just love P. japonica!!

[gote]

Really interesting Robin,
Nothing beats actually growing and looking at the living specimen.
Are you familiar with Susan Farmer's thesis? It treats Kinugasa as a separate species.
http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/Trillium/articleBEN.html
Your comments to that are most welcome.
I seem to have read somewhere that somebody floated the theory that it is an ancient Trlllium/Paris hybrid with doubled number of chromosomes.
Cheers
Göte
 

[Robin Callens]

Göte,

I am familiar with the work of Susan Farmer, but I based my writing on a more recent molecular study: http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/98/1/245

regards,

Robin