Caltha palustris var barthei?

[jomowi]

I have had this plant for many years, so long that the label and my memory have lost the name.  I believe it is a Ranunculus. It grows in a damp part shady spot  and is fully hardy.  The Flowers, about 14 mm across, appear in late April/May.  Can anyone help name it?







Brian Wilson
Aberdeen

[arisaema]

Caltha palustris, one of the Chinese varieties.

[Paul T]

Wow!  Very nice.  I like it's companion as well. 

[kalle-k.dk]

Hello Brian

It is a Caltha palustris var. barthei It is a Chinese variety and it is rare.

Karl Kristensen
Denmark

[Maggi Young]

[quote ]


It is a Caltha palustris var. barthei It is a Chinese variety and it is rare.



[/quote]

.....and very beautiful!

[jomowi]

Thanks for the help, Caltha palustris barthei it is.  I note that Edrom list a yellow plant under this name, clearly not the same.

Paul- the companion plant is Trillium grandiflorum which had aged to pink.

Brian Wilson
Aberdeen

[arisaema]

It's not the colour that separates the variety, Edrom used to list one called C. barthei atrorubens. Note that the leaves below the inflorescence on your plant are much smaller than the basal ones - which does not seem to fit with the key for v. barthei.

[Tony Willis]

Brian I have the Caltha palustris ssp barthei var atrorubens from Edrom. It  looks in general like yours has red flowers which are a nice colour but other than that it is pathetic. The flowers are less than 1cm in diameter and totally lost in the foliage.Maybe it will improve with age but I think not.

It seems to be setting seed at the moment.

[kalle-k.dk]

Here is the information from Flora of China http://www.efloras.org/index.aspx



1f. Caltha palustris var. barthei Hance, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. ser. 5, 5: 205. 1866.
空茎驴蹄草 kong jing lu ti cao




Caltha fistulosa Schipczinsky; C. fistulosa f. atrorubra W. T. Wang; C. palustris var. barthei f. atrorubra (W. T. Wang) W. T. Wang; C. palustris var. multiflora Komarov ex Schipczinsky.

Stems erect, hollow, to 1.2 m tall, ca. 1.2 cm in diam. at fruiting. Cauline leaves below inflorescence subequal to basal leaves in size. 2n = 32, 60.




By streams; 1000--3800 m. SW Gansu, S and W Sichuan, E Xizang, NW Yunnan [Japan, Russia (Far East )].

[arisaema]

How tall are all your plants? My own one from Edrom is sulking, I suspect it's too dry where I planted it.

[kalle-k.dk]

It is about 30 cm. tall and I have planted quite moist, maybe it will to tall where I have planted it.

[Tony Willis]

Mine sulked last year but has taken of this spring and is about 30cms tall. It is in moist soil.

The description on the label says glossy leaves but they are in fact a dull light green.

[jomowi]

For information my plant is about 45 cm tall.  While there appear to be seed pods I have never found any seed and no self-sown seedlings

Brian Wilson

[Stephenb]

On my recent trip to Northern Norway (see Tromsø thread) I also visited some fantastic gardens. One plant that I saw in several of these gardens is shown below. I'd never seen this beauty before and I found it difficult to believe that it was a variety of Caltha palustris (var barthei I was told). Its dark nodding flowers look so different from the species and other varieties I've seen. It had been imported from China and spread locally amongst enthusiasts. What do the collective minds think?

Thanks in advance...

[Maggi Young]

Stephen, we haven't got this lovely plant, but it has been mentioned a couple of times in the Forum .....see these pages.....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3658.msg96363;topicseen#msg96363


http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=542.msg13852;topicseen#msg13852


It seems a few Forumists are growing it.....and not only in Norway!  

I have merged this new page with the previous ID page on this plant....