Hyacinthus orientalis var. albulus Roman Hyacinth

[partisangardener]

It is a bit early or late
Has anybody this plant in his garden. I found it in southern France (an old abandoned garden) and it grew for many years in my old garden. Since I have moved, I have given most of it away but kept a clump for myself. It multiplies quite good vegetative, but never sets seeds. I probably have only one clone.
Is there anybody who might have another clone to swap.
I add some pictures including one of a flower from the common one many years in my old garden grown compaired with the wild one.

[Sinchets]

I am not sure if it is any help, but most old gardens here including ours have the blue form. It also does not appear to seet seed. I haven't seen albino forms here yet.

[dominique]

I have the blue form found in South France along a road. Nice white form indeed

[partisangardener]

Doninique
Does it set seed?
I found it late in spring with no flowers, even did not know what it was. It resembled hyacinths to me, but had small bulbs and whole clumps of it. So I took one very little clump with me to find out.
I probably would not find this garden again after all this years, apart from the not very unlikely chance that it does not exist anymore.

[dominique]

I take it 2 years ago -blooming season) and has not flowered last spring. Perhaps next ! I don't know if it would make seeds ?Dom

[partisangardener]

If You have just one plant I fear not.
Mine was flowering the first year. Always one flowering stem per bulb. Rarely a very small bulb might not give a flower. I must watch next season if at all.

[partisangardener]

Thanks Mark
Seems to be without any white form, or did I miss anything, apart from rarely white mentioned.

[mark smyth]

My plant is very pale pink

[partisangardener]

So nobody has a white one?

[mark smyth]

Your is possibly early. Mine flowered in March last year

[partisangardener]

My pictures are from early April 2009.
Yours is quite different apart from the colour. More like the pink flower in my comparing picture.

[Tony Willis]

This is Hyacinthus orientalis ssp chionophyllus. I cannot see any difference from ssp orientalis which I also grow. This was discused earlier in the year.

[Oron Peri]

Axel

In my opinion your white Hycinthus is not a wild form but an old garden cultivar.
These cultivars when left in the garden  produce new bulbs but they loose their vigor and turn back to their original, wildy appearance accept the large leaves that are unproportional to the inflorescence.
The blue and white cultivars can live for many years in the garden [under the right conditions], while the other colors usually die after a few years.

[Oron Peri]

This is Hyacinthus orientalis ssp chionophyllus. I cannot see any difference from ssp orientalis which I also grow. This was discused earlier in the year.

Tony
these turquoise spots on the tube are typical to this ssp. but the more evident differences are the leaves, which are much wider in ssp. chionophyllus and the lobes are the same length as the tube, while in ssp orientalis they are shorter.

It might be that under the conditions you grow them leaves don't show difference due to lack of sun, but in their natural habitat it is quite easy to notice it.
Beautiful plant!!!

[partisangardener]

Tony the roman hyacinth is an old cultivar (historical hence the name). Rarely found in gardens more in the wild now in. Italy, France and other countries.
In my picture is a flower of the type compaired with the Roman I think you are talking about. This one (pink)is out of a Garden from an old Lady I have it now for more than 15 years (I don't know how long they were grown there. I had blue ones and white ones too. They rarely made new bulbs, if at all. The inflorescence was smaller more spaced, less flowers, but the size of the single flower is  double of the roman H.  I try to make better pictures of the plant next season.