Lilium 2009

[Anthony Darby]

Flowers are well over for this year. I'll check to see if there are still anthers.

[johnw]

Anthony  - Thanks for the nepalense offer.  Maybe some pollen tout de suite would do the trick?

johnw

Anthiony  - Looks like the nepalense flowers won't last but a day or so.  The heat is causing them to show their age.

johnw  - +24c & sunny

[Boyed]

Thanks, Rob. Interesting to know.

As someone else pointed out, there's a danger with virus-resistant plants in that they can infect non-resistant plants in a collection and because they show no symptoms, there are no warning signs of possible infection.

When mentioning breeding for virus resistance, I was really talking very theoretically. The practical obstacles, both in commerce and in private collections are huge, and the only practical answer right now is strict vigilance, rogueing and most importantly seed raising and seed sharing. I'm certainly not going to deliberately infect all my snowdrop seedlings with virus so I can find a few virus resistant survivors a few years down the line, just in case anyone starts to worry about accepting snowdrops from me in future.   

I think there is some clarification needed.
Virus resistant cultivars and species are those, with high resistance to virus, which usually don't get deceased when the virus is transfered by aphids. The most important factor is that they are not virus carriers at the same time. In case of mechanical damages, for example when cutting with non-desinfected instrument, even these can catch virus, as the plants gets a large dose of virus and not always can resist. I grow many Oriental lilies (which are known for their low virus resistance) next to my asiatic virus resistant lilies and have no problems with viruses.

I think we speak about those species and cultivars, which are not resistant to virus, but grow without any serious suffering when infected and don't show visible symptoms of virus (at least for amatures).

[rob krejzl]

I agree with Göte when he says "Especially I am sceptical to virus resistant clones since these can infect my plants without showing much of symptoms."

Resistant clones are exactly that - resistant. They can carry a viral load without obvious symptoms; if they carry it one has to accept that it may be transferred to something else. Better to test them by innoculating a susceptible bulb with some of their sap than to rely on them being clean. Better not to grow them too close to something you can't replace easily.

[Boyed]

Rob,

I'd rather say that you speak about cultivars which are not resistant to virus, but grow with virus without any suffering. Resistant cultivars don't get diseased and don't serve as reservoirs for viruses. I have been studying virus problems for over 15 years, making many tests and even infecting artificially my oriental lilies with sap from resistant Asiatic cultivars (including famous lilium tigrinum) ( I grow very old virus-free stock). So everything is clear, no danger.

If we take what you mean, in this case, all colchicums, frits and some other plants, which have very high virus resistance should be virus carriers.

I also made several tests with tulips. As you might know many tulips from kaufmanniana and fosteriana groups are very virus resistant. Several times I infected fosteriana tulip 'Canata' with the sap from virus-infected fringed tulip. But it never got deceased. At the same time, I did the opposite, the following year transferred the sap from 'Cantata', which was previously inoculated with virus to low resistant fringed variety and the fringed variety didn't catch virus. So it allows saying that resistant cultivars don't get deceased and don't carry a virus at the same time.

We just speak about the clones, cultivars and species, which are not virus resistant, but grow without any signs of suffering, when infected.

[Lori S.]

1) Lilium leichtlinii var maximowiczii - but only 1 flower this year.   
2) Asiatic hybrid 'Enchantment', supposedly, but lacking the spots.
3) LA hybrid, 'Easter Gold'
4) Asiatic hybrid 'Starchild'
5) Asiatic hybrid 'Lady Fair', a very small flowered lily.

[viovaslui]

my lilium
http://mimiana.sunphoto.ro/0001_crini_2009
http://mimiana.sunphoto.ro/crini

[gote]

2) Asiatic hybrid 'Enchantment', supposedly, but lacking the spots.

It seems that this lily is sold (or swapped) today under the name 'Enchantment'
It is definitely not 'Enchantment'. 'Enchantment has more narrow tepals and is more red.
Of the mid-century hybrids I have grown, it looks more like 'Harmony' in shape and colour.
I do not recall the spottiness of Harmony and I cannot access my pictures from where I am now.
Considering that these hybrids came out half a century ago it is unlikely that many survive.
If someone still has 'Destiny' I would be interested in some kind of swap.
The voles killed my entire collection of asiatic hybrids many years ago.
Göte

[gote]

Boyed,
You are of course right. Unlike you, we are using the term 'Virus resistant' in a loose manner. I am afraid that most people do and thus when something is called virus resistant it can well be that it is not that strictly speaking but it just shows no symptoms. Considering the very deficient ethics among some of the bulb peddlers. I do not take the risk. If you sometime get a surplus of lancifolium bulbils I would be very grateful for a few of them. I am suspicious about my own stock.
Göte

[gote]

2) Asiatic hybrid 'Enchantment', supposedly, but lacking the spots.

Lilium "Enchantment' was one of the selected clones of asiatic hybrids created at the Oregon Bulb farms some fifty years ago. It became very popular in the trade. Obviously the commercial yield was high. For this reason its name remained in the minds of people and obviously other asiatic hybrids were mistakenly or maliciously given the name.
A check on Google shows a number of pictures of lilies named 'Enchantment'. Unfortunately most of them are misnamed. The best likeness is a Finnish postage stamp !
I grew it in the sixties but did not like it very much so I do not have any good picture. This one is s scan of an old slide and I have been unable to get the colours quite right.
'Harmony' has the right colour and tepal shape but is far from unspotted.

I post a last picture of the distichum showing the very unusual habitus. At an early stage it looks like a Paris or something. For a long time there is nothing above the whorl then suddenly it starts growing again.

I also post a couple of pictures of Tsingtauense from a Korean collection. (Crug Farm) It is only half the size of my old ones (posted earlier) and the flowers are more upright. The assymetry is less pronounced.

Cheers
Göte

   

[Ragged Robin]

I post a last picture of the distichum showing the very unusual habitus. At an early stage it looks like a Paris or something. For a long time there is nothing above the whorl then suddenly it starts growing again.

Gote, it must have been wonderful to watch the stems and flowers rising and opening from that unusual spread of leaves - how long did it take to full flower?

[gote]

I post a last picture of the distichum showing the very unusual habitus. At an early stage it looks like a Paris or something. For a long time there is nothing above the whorl then suddenly it starts growing again.

Gote, it must have been wonderful to watch the stems and flowers rising and opening from that unusual spread of leaves - how long did it take to full flower?

I do not recall but it stops with a fully developed whorl with a tiny bud in the middle for many days I think over a week - maybe even two. The first year I thught that a Daisva/Paris had been resurrected from the dead. I even labeled it Daisva   
Göte

[Armin]

Viovaslui,
welcome to the forum. You have a fine collection of lilies. Are you a apiarist? I saw many bee houses in one of the garden picture.
It seems you don't have to worry of a good pollination.

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a nice pot of lilies at the front door.

[Martin Baxendale]

Gote, would you have any spare pollen from L. distichum, or have the anthers already lost all their pollen? I'd love to freeze some to use on my martagons next year.