Sternbergia 2010

[Gail]

Lovely pictures Franz and Gerd & I'm looking forward to seeing Miriam's...
The first time I saw Sternbergias was about 20 years ago on Jersey island - they are naturalised in grass on a steep bank, very much like Franz's meadow but sadly they won't do that for me.

[Hans A.]

@Melvyn - thanks for showing your S. greuteriana - of which size is the flower?

@Franz - very fine Sternbergias in your meadow - get they any protection in Winter? Are they normally covered with snow?

@ Gerd, beautyful Sternbergias - hope to see many more pics of your new rockgarden

@ Miriam, I am also looking forward to see S. clusiana in its natural habitat!

[Hans A.]

The discussion if Sternbergia sicula and lutea are one or two species is quite interesting, I personally would think they are two with intermediate forms, but this opinion is only based in a few cultivated forms and not in observations in their natural enviroment. Here two I would call S. sicula and S. lutea (now with a bit of sun ). The next two look intermediate: "S. lutea var. angustifolia" - MS 754 - looks like a huge S.sicula and "S.angustifolia" (Paul Christian) looks more like a small S. lutea.

[Gerry Webster]

The discussion if Sternbergia sicula and lutea are one or two species is quite interesting, I personally would think they are two with intermediate forms, but this opinion is only based in a few cultivated forms and not in observations in their natural enviroment. Here two I would call S. sicula and S. lutea (now with a bit of sun ). The next two look intermediate: "S. lutea var. angustifolia" - MS 754 - looks like a huge S.sicula and "S.angustifolia" (Paul Christian) looks more like a small S. lutea.

Very interesting Hans. My plant of S. lutea angustifolia MS753 looks somewhat different to yours - I have posted a pic in the thread on "Virus Symptoms". The plant I had from Paul Christian as S. angustifolia looks exactly like a form of S. sicula!

[Maggi Young]

Very interesting Hans. My plant of S. lutea angustifolia MS753 looks somewhat different to yours - I have posted a pic in the thread on "Virus Symptoms". The plant I had from Paul Christian as S. angustifolia looks exactly like a form of S. sicula!

That post Gerry refers to is here :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6041.msg166955#msg166955

[Hans A.]

Thanks Gerry, your MS754 looks really different - not sure if there were collected several clones which have the same number? Maybe someone else is growing it/them (and those of PC)? Mine looked healthy last year, but I will check it when the leaves are a bit longer.
Here two more pics which make it easier to see the size of both "angustifolia".

[Gerry Webster]

Hans - regarding S. lutea angustifolia. Plants under this name have been shown more than once on Luit's thread for the Lisse flower show (I can't remember when). Those plants looked very like mine.

[Hans A.]

Thanks Gerry, you are right, they look like yours, but as Sternbergia angustifolia should be intermediate between S.sicula and S.lutea a variability can be expected - one with pointed flowers for example is shown here: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Northumberland/+September+/61/
A picture of Paul Christians S.angustifolia is visible here: http://rareplants.co.uk/page.asp?id=SternMain

Kurt Vickery had offered seed of Sternbergia lutea angustifolia MS981 Italy in his August list, it would be interesting if the resulting plants split.



Edit: Checking descriptions, pictures and my own notes the plant I posted as S. lutea could be the clone 'Autumn Gold' - it is extremly floriferous and produces often two large flowers per stalk, leaves are more narrow than of normal S. lutea and similar the plants I have received as "angustifolia".

[hadacekf]

@Franz - very fine Sternbergias in your meadow - get they any protection in Winter? Are they normally covered with snow?

Hans
No, there is no protection. Sometimes there are covered with snow.

[Hans A.]

Thanks a lot Franz, interesting to see Sternbergias survived the last two hard winter!

[fermi de Sousa]

Here two more pics which make it easier to see the size of both "angustifolia".

And we can easily see why they light your fire!
 
cheers
fermi

[Hans A.]

 

here one ex corfu - also very floriferous

[Armin]

Hans,
a wunderful clump.
Is it from Mt. Pantokrator?

[Hans A.]

Thanks Armin,
sorry, but I do not have further information where on corfu it was collected.

[Armin]

Hans,
when I visited Corfu last year summer a tourist guide told me from the wunderful yellow autuum crocus on Mt. Pantokrator