Epimedium - various threads gathered together here

[Leena]

Leena - in our side of the world, many Epimediums are confused in the trades as well. It may be because when not in flower it is very hard, or better said almost impossible to distinguish between various species, not to mention hybrids.
The one you showed a picture looks like Epimedium x sasaki, sometimes written as E. 'Sasaki'.

Gabriela, the flowers look a lot like 'Sasaki', but I think my plant is deciduous, I will confirm it when the snow melts down.

Yes, it seems many Epimediums are mixed up in trade. My false 'Arctic Wings' was bought from Netherlands, and I once bought 'Ellen Willmott' from Germany and it turned out to be E.alpinum, both false plants were from big well known nurseries.

Mark, your 'Short Story' is wonderful. So much flowers!!

About seeds from 'Amber Queen'. I got them from Gabriela  , and they germinated well, but unfortunately mice to to them and ate all but one seedling. However, I got seeds also from a friend here in Finland from her 'Amber Queen' and also they have germinated well, and it looks like there is great variation between plants and their leaves. It will be interesting to see how they look like when they flower.

[TheOnionMan]

Leena, thank you regarding 'Short Story', I'm very pleased with it. It was the only plant out of a batch of brachyrrhizum seedlings that was worthy, most all were for the dust bin, but this one was a champ.

Regarding 'Sasaki', not actually a cultivar, it's a latinized group name for natural hybrids in Japan between Epimedium setosum x sempervirens, and written Epimedium x sasakii.

What is called E. x setosum, it also a latinized group name for natural hybrids in Japan of E. diphyllum x sempervirens. 
Therefore it follows that:

x sasakii =  (setosum x sempervirens)
x sasakii = ([diphyllum x sempervirens]) x sempervirens

That's interesting about 'Amber Queen' seed, I must buy one or two replacement plants to get that nice orange color back into my Epimedium garden.

Last year I had first bloom on a batch of E. ilicifolium crosses (some open-pollinated + some manual crosses), got one that looks like it crossed with stellulatum, resulting in blooms with white inner sepals and an orange cup and spurs.

[Gabriela]

Leena - sorry you lost the seedlings from Amber Queen, there will be more seeds this year if needed
Maybe we'll be able to also switch colours this season with seeds from Epimedium acuminatum

[Leena]

 
I will take pictures of how my other seedlings look later in the summer.
I also lost some Erythronium sibiricum seedlings at the same time,  seedlings were close to each other, but later I caught that hungry  mouse so there was no more damage.

[Gabriela]

I will take pictures of how my other seedlings look later in the summer.
I also lost some Erythronium sibiricum seedlings at the same time,  seedlings were close to each other, but later I caught that hungry  mouse so there was no more damage.

I've been trying to find this photo with an Amber Queen seedling flowering Leena and took me a while! Talking about having the folders organized 
Regardless the flowers, which are nothing interesting, the foliage is beautiful, especially when grown with a lot of sun - the red flush might be a trait transmitted from E. wushanense.

[TheOnionMan]

Gabriela, striking foliage on your seed-grown plant, I grow some epimediums just for the foliage, looks like a "keeper" to me. 

[Leena]

Gabriela, that is a wonderful foliage! Something to look forward to in seedlings.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, striking foliage on your seed-grown plant, I grow some epimediums just for the foliage, looks like a "keeper" to me. 

Thanks; this one stays with me. I gave away a couple last year also with this kind of foliage. Most of Amber Queen seedlings were the same.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, that is a wonderful foliage! Something to look forward to in seedlings.

Thanks Leena, I have no merit, it is nature's work
I look fwd to see your seedlings. Depending on what Amber Queen crossed with in your friend's garden they will be different.
Mine that flowered were almost surely crossed with E. lischichenii.

[Gabriela]

Opening the cold frames in early spring is a very exciting time; the Epimedium seedlings especially make me dream about how the new hybrids are going to look like
The second generation from OP E. lishihchenii; mother plant in the second image.

[TheOnionMan]

Gabriela, exciting to see one's epimedium seedlings germinate, and mother lishihchenii is no slouch there, gorgeous foliage and nice flowers too.

Yesterday I noticed first epimedium germination, much later than normal because of our dismal cold spring, today breaks a record for this date (April 15) with daytime high temps at 29F, 3 degrees below freezing point, with a constant 20mph frigid wind.

I will try to remember to show some self-sown lishihchenii x versicolor 'Neosulphureum' hybrids, not all hybrids are meant to be, I call theme Frankenepimediums.  First I'm going to post something else.

[TheOnionMan]

In 2010 I selected a seedling from youngianum 'Lilliputian' x manual crosses + some OP (open pollinated). The first photo shows a 4-year old plant, compare the tiny leaf and plant size to the "regular size" epimediums flanking it on either side. Second shows shows a profile view of this miniature. The next 3 photos jump a few years forward to see how the plant is filling out.  The motive behind making crosses with Lilliputian, is to expand the range of small rock-garden-sized epimedium.

Following this post will be another 5 images to show more detail.

[TheOnionMan]

Continuing with my Lilliputian hybrid, jumping forward several years, and this is what I was hoping for, a very tiny leaf form epimedium that grows into a compact tuffet, with bright pink flowers sitting on top like icing on a cake. Flowers resemble E. grandiflorum form with longish spurs, all in miniature. No name yet, it will be introduced, I refer to it as my "mini grandi", working on a name now.

1. my "mini grandi" in the center, my one and only hybrid Hosta 'Sukey Sue', white E. 'Yachimata Hime' on the left, yellow and pink 'Fire Dragon' on the right (hybrid by Robin White), and my "dwarf spiny" (stellulatum hybrid) lower right.

2. "mini grandi" with hand for scale, to show how tiny the leaves are, flowers sit on top of the foliage  like icing on a cake.

3. top view showing the round tuffet-like plant shape

4. another angle showing the same four Epimediums, a better view of both 'Fire Dragon' and in lower left flowers and new foliage on my "dwarf spiny".

5. 'Yachimata Hime', a relatively recent dwarf white, a charming plant with flowers held a few inches above the banded and mottled little leaflets.

[Maggi Young]

Your "Baby Grand" does make a good shape, McMark.  Very neat.

[Véronique Macrelle]

oh yes ! a very nice selection