Fritillaria 2009

[fermi de Sousa]

The first fritillarias in flower at our place:
Fritillaria carica


Fritillaria erhartii (?) grown from Seedex about 6 years ago.


cheers
fermi

[Michael]

Love it Fermi!

Carica in portuguese is one of these things. Quite a funny name...

[Lesley Cox]

You mean bottle top Michael?

[Diane Clement]

Carica in portuguese is one of these things. Quite a funny name...    

And Carica is also the genus of papaya 

[Lesley Cox]

Three more frits out here are in succession, FF. sibthorpiana, davisii and bithynica. I always wonder about this last as bithynica is said to have winged seed pods. My pods are smooth and unwinged. Some of the flowers have pink edges to the petals, making a striped appearance.

[Sinchets]

Lesley, your F.'bithynica' seems to have something of F.pinardii about it. Was it seed grown?

[Michael]

You mean bottle top Michael?

Exactly Lesley. I dont see the connection at all, but... who knows?

[Lesley Cox]

F. pinardii? That I HADN'T thought of. I did originally grow it from seed I think - it was a long time ago - and several generations of seedlings have all been either green or green with the pinkish stripe. I've not had seed on my pinardiis to compare the pods. It's great from seed, flowering in less that 2 and a half years. I'd welcome other opinions here, from Gerry, Tony, Ian Y et al.

[Gerry Webster]

F. pinardii? That I HADN'T thought of. I did originally grow it from seed I think - it was a long time ago - and several generations of seedlings have all been either green or green with the pinkish stripe. I've not had seed on my pinardiis to compare the pods. It's great from seed, flowering in less that 2 and a half years. I'd welcome other opinions here, from Gerry, Tony, Ian Y et al.

Lesley - the yellow-green flowers in the left-hand part of the pot look like what I know as F.bithynica. I'm not sure about the others. Possibly F.pinardii - a taxon that can contain just about anything -  or a hybrid? As regards the capsule, that of F.pinardii is said to be unwinged. In Flora of Turkey Rix states that while F. bithynica usually has a winged capsule, populations with unwinged capsules are scattered throughout the southern part of the distribution of the species.

[Lesley Cox]

Here is F. purdyi from Archibald seed. I like it very much ut one I had years ago from Wayne Roderick seed, had crimson pollen and heavier spotting which made the flower much more exciting. Still, I'm not complaining.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Some awesome Frits you're posting at present.  The last 4 species you've posted I grow (although my bithynica is somewhat different to that one of yours), but the ones before that (aurea, tubiformis, rhodokanakis etc) I've never grown here.  I just love the aurea and tubiformis forms.... Very, very nice.  I must mention that I have happy little seedlings coming along from michaelovskyi and a couple of other seed lots that you sent me last year.... so you've got children (or should that be grandchildren?) here as well at the moment!!

Very few Frits going to flower for me this year unfortunately.  Has been a tough few years with early warmth that forced them into dormancy more rapidly than they should be.... so no flowers.

Janis,

Great photo of Love's Embrace!    They do look so romantic, don't they.  I guess you could also just call it "Romantic Mood"! 

Thanks to all who are posting pics of Frits at the moment.  Nice to be able to enjoy them when so few are flowering for me here this year.  I can at least remember what they have looked like in the past (and hopefully again in the future) this way. 

[Kees Green]

I do not own one fritillaria, that will change in the coming years.
These are beautiful plants, now I see why my mother had them years ago before her move to Australia.
I will keep a look out for them.

[fermi de Sousa]

Paul,
Last year these two didn't do much at all but have produced a couple of blooms each this season,
Fritillaria messanensis


F.lusitanica on a 2 ft tall stem


A smaller bulb of F. lusitanica also had a flower open a few days before the taller stem,


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

I've been watering the frit pots today with a systemic fungicide as there are the first signs of botrytis, most likely a consequence of very damp days over the last month or so but I also believe it is more prevelant in soil-less composts as I don't have the problem with the species planted in the garden rather than potted. I plan to plant out as many as possible this summer in my new bit of garden which is gradually taking shape (but the damned wheelbarrow gave out on me today).

[Ragged Robin]

FF. sibthorpiana, davisii and bithynica

Lesley, this group of Frits in your garden are so attractive, I love the shape of the flower bell and the colours.  Does F purdyi grow in full sun or part shade to enhance the spotting?