Lilium monadelphum and Lilium monadelphum var. szovitsianum

[kalle-k.dk]

What are there differs between Lilium monadelphum and Lilium monadelphum var. szovitsianum. I have looked in my books and on the Internet, but can not find a description or picture of there differs between them. On my L. monadelphum there is a red colour on the top and on the tip of the flowers and there are no red colour of my L. monadelphum var. szovitsianum. Is this the differs, I don’t know?

[Martin Baxendale]

According to Patrick Synge in his 1980 monograph of lilies (a revision of Elwes' monograph) the most obvious difference is that L. monadelphum has yellow pollen, while L. szovitsianum has orange pollen. However, field observations have since shown these characteristics to be very variable in wild populations. The same goes for the amount of spotting on the flowers. I've grown both of them from various sources, including from seed, and the pollen colour does seem to vary quite a bit. There's also the possibility of hybridisation between them in gardens. I think it's probably one of those situations where there's not much reason to give them different names, but people still grow them under separate names because that;s how they received them.

[Lesley Cox]

I remember reading somewhere that L. m. v. szovitsianum (which I have as L. szovitsianum) is spotted while L. monodelphum isn't but as Martin says, the spotting varies.

In "Lilies in Their Homes" (A.C. MAxwell, Collins, 1953) L. monodelphum is said to be the only lily which has its stamen filaments joined together at the base or in a tube around the ovary. This characteristic is not always present but if it is, is easily seen.

L. szovitsianum is said to have a paler, more straw-coloured flower with brilliant orange anthers. The stigma is said to be purple (green in monodelphum), and the stem is taller, and flowers about 10 days later. The colour of the bulb is said to be a much deeper yellow than in monodelphum.

Having said all that, Maxwell states that some authorities deny the constancy of all those features and declare that many variations are present in the seedling from a single batch of seed.

[Martin Baxendale]

Lesley, Synge also says that the filaments of the stamens are fused at the base in L. monadelphum. But that's also been found to be a variable characteristic in the wild, with populations of monadelphum being discovered with no fused filaments at all. Similarly, in wild populations the degree of spotting and depth of flower colour can also be very variable.

I think it's one of those cases where two "species" have been differentiated mainly on the basis of small variations in limited cultivated material, while wild populations (because of physical and political geography) were not well studied by western botanists until quite recently, and the wild populations are now indicating that it's most likely one variable species.

[Lesley Cox]

I expect you're right Martin and after all, we do have to find ways to keep all those botanists/taxonomists in paid employment

[kalle-k.dk]

Thanks to Lesley and Martin for giving me information about those two lilies. After I have read you information, I am sure; this is the right I have.

Karl Kristensen
www.kalle-k.dk

[Boyed]

Karl, I have somewhere written about the differences between those two species. I will look for to find.
Both grow wild in my country.
So far take a look at some of my photos of Lilium Szovitsianum (there can be much spotted or less spotted samples of in in the wild)