Muscari ... and some relatives 2009

[Ezeiza]

Friends, the way taxonomists look at our plants involve a bench, a a comfortable stool and a heap of dried plants. This is why the blanket is always too short or too long. When we run the Rainlily Study Group, we put together as many images of the "real things" as possible and then exchanged such material so everyone could grow it in his collection. Then we put hands at the mass of good material that was doubtful if referred to this or that known species. It was fun and we could assign them to species, see which ones merit a new identity and so on.

The work Oron and others are doing is invaluable. Besides growing healthy material (a LOT of the Muscaris and other dwarf bulbs in the trade is heavily virused) the possibility of garden hybrids is nil.

I regret we do not have Muscaris in the wild here!

best
Alberto

[Sinchets]

Yes Alberto, I completely agree. We must also accept though that even in the wild there are chances of hyrbids and also a lot more variability to some species than humans seem willing to alllow for.

[Sinchets]

Hyacinthella heldreichii (?) and Muscari chalusicum (?)

[Tony Willis]

Simon that hyacinthella is very nice. Where is it from?

[Oron Peri]

Hyacinthella heldreichii (?) and Muscari chalusicum (?)

Simon these plants look so happy and healthy...Bravo, I wonder if it is your -25c that makes them look this way..

I would say again H. glabrescens, this time a great dark form and yes for the second, M. chalusicum.
[ M. chalusicum is a syn. for M. pseudomuscari]

[Sinchets]

Thanks Oron. The cold may have something to do with some of the colour intensities we are seeing.
Tony- If it is Hyacinthella glabrescens then it is from Buried Treasure. If it is H.glabrescens bought as H.heldreichii then it was either from Buried Treasure or Paul Christian. I have only had 1 form of H.glabrescens in the past and even though labels were missing and the bulbs had been disturbed by voles I tried to replant separately. Love them all though and will try more outside next year in the open garden.

[Ezeiza]

"a lot more variability to some species than humans seem willing to alllow for."


That's right but growing these natural variants with at least a known provenance will let us learn a lot more than those that appear in cultivation, most often without any useful reference, other than a fancy name.


Regards

[Sinchets]

Yes, we agree with each other. The more forms we have in cultivation, obtained from recorded sites in the wild, the better we will understand species diversity and maybe realise that 2 'species' from the opposite ends of a range form a continuum when viewed side by side with those from intermediate sites.

[Ezeiza]

Exactly!

And these variants, continuum, etc., can not be seen in Herbariums

[Jim McKenney]

I have long believed that the single most important datum to be considered in identifying plants is that associated with provenance. Names change, speculations about relationships change, notions about what are or are not significant morphological distinctions change; but the provenance, if accurate, remains the same. The very concept of species varies from taxonomist to taxonomist, but the provenance remains the same.

And we’re on the verge of a new world now with the use of global positioning satellites, at least where that mapping is available. This will allow us to associate a collected plant with a wild population with a very high degree of accuracy.

Here’s a trivial but nevertheless illustrative example of just how powerful GPS can be. A few years ago, out of the blue, I got a telephone call from a man who wanted me to identify a plant he had seen while on vacation. He sent me photos, and on the basis of the photos I was able to identify the plant. But something about that plant, and in particular the location in which he had seen it, raised some speculation on my part. I decided I had to see the plant myself.

He gave me the GPS coordinates for the site and printed a map from those; a day later I was off to see the plant. Three hours later, with a by-then stiff neck, I pulled the car off the road, got out and walked over a few yards to the site where the plant grew. And there it was, just as promised. It was a simple as that!

If I had waited a year or two to do this, I might have found a parking lot or housing development instead!

[gote]

Friends, the way taxonomists look at our plants involve a bench, a a comfortable stool and a heap of dried plants. This is why the blanket is always too short or too long. When we run the Rainlily Study Group, we put together as many images of the "real things" as possible and then exchanged such material so everyone could grow it in his collection. Then we put hands at the mass of good material that was doubtful if referred to this or that known species. It was fun and we could assign them to species, see which ones merit a new identity and so on.

The work Oron and others are doing is invaluable. Besides growing healthy material (a LOT of the Muscaris and other dwarf bulbs in the trade is heavily virused) the possibility of garden hybrids is nil.

I regret we do not have Muscaris in the wild here!

best
Alberto

I could not agree more! I always try to record the provenience of every plant I grow even if it is only "Gardencentre X".
GPS-data would really be even better.
Good work Oron. If the odd surplus seed goes into the seed eschanges I would not be sorry.
Göte

[Sinchets]

Hyacinthella heldreichii flowering in the bulb frame- different source to previous post.

[SueG]

Muscari leucostomum flowering today. I've not grown this before and I do like it. And M Baby's Breath - a ghastly name, but the flower is super.
I will be on the look out for the Hyacinthella - a lovely plant
Sue

[Sinchets]

I agree Sue this litle clump has bulked up enough to try some out in thegarden for next year.
Also Muscari muscarimi - this one in the frame- have another lot outside but they will be later flowering.

[Oron Peri]

Great Plants Sue and Simon.

No doubt about H. heldreichii, this one is true to type!!!