White flowering Eranthis

[WimB]

I was looking some things up about white-flowering Eranthis.

Something didn't quite make sense...as I understand it, there are three white-flowering species in this genus. E. albiflora, E. stellata and E. pinnatifida.

But according to the flora of China E. stellata has yellow flowers and pubescent pedicels (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008006). All pictures I've found of E. stellata show plants with white flowers and glabrous pedicels, so that would make alll of them E. albiflora (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008003)?
In the original description of E. stellata (http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.39015020108877;page=root;seq=28;num=22) there's no mention of flower-colour at all, but it also mentions the pubescent pedicels...anyone here who can shed some light on this?

 

[kalle-k.dk]

I mean they write that the sepals are yellow and they write not what colour the petals are.

[WimB]

I mean they write that the sepals are yellow and they write not what colour the petals are.

Yes, but I guess that's the main colour of the flower, no? The petals are "funnelform, 3.5--5 mm"

[Maggi Young]

It is my belief that the colour in that description was written/described from a herbarium sheet... who knows what the colour can be when it has been squashed and stored for x years!!

Ian and I have been discussing this very matter with a forum friend and the same is going on on a German plant forum.

[WimB]

It is my berlief that the colour in that description was written/described from a herbarium sheet... who knows what the colour can be when it has been squashed and stored for x years!!

Ian and I have been discussing this very matter with a forum friend and the same is going on on a German plant forum.

That's a fact,

in a herbarium white can become yellow indeed. But that still leaves the difference between glabrous vs pubescent pedicels!
I found the discussion on the German Plant forum but nobody there seemed to be able to give a definitive answer.

Oh, and another question, anyone ever seen Eranthis lobulata? The flowers aren't described in the FoC, so I guess they haven't seen this species in real life either!

[kalle-k.dk]

In one of my greenhouse where there are about 5 degress Eranthis stellata got the first flower. In the same greenhouse I also have Eranthis pinnatifida, but there will go 14 days, maybe more before there are flower.

Karl Kristensen,
Denmark
www.kalle-k.dk

[mark smyth]

A white hyemailis would be be nice

[WimB]

Very nice, Karl! Here E. pinnatifida is just showing breaking through the soil outside in the garden.

In the meantime I found the differences between the white flowering species, only E. albiflora and E. stellata still seem very similar!

And E. lobulata is unfindable!

A white hyemailis would be be nice

I think so too, 'Schwefelglanz' seems to be the closest when the flowers opened! Although John Lonsdale has a very nice pale form (not 'Schwefelglanz') in his garden too: http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/Plants_album/The%20Plants%20-%20%20Complete%20Collection/Ranunculaceae%20-%202/Eranthis/slides/Eranthis%20hyemalis%20pale%20form%200002.html but still not white

[Janis Ruksans]

I was looking some things up about white-flowering Eranthis.

Something didn't quite make sense...as I understand it, there are three white-flowering species in this genus. E. albiflora, E. stellata and E. pinnatifida.

But according to the flora of China E. stellata has yellow flowers and pubescent pedicels (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008006). All pictures I've found of E. stellata show plants with white flowers and glabrous pedicels, so that would make alll of them E. albiflora (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008003)?
In the original description of E. stellata (http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.39015020108877;page=root;seq=28;num=22) there's no mention of flower-colour at all, but it also mentions the pubescent pedicels...anyone here who can shed some light on this?

 

This mistake about stellata flower color is in all Russian Floras as they judge by dry flowers in herbarium. Really they are white! May be China follows Russia? I wrote about this in my book BURRIED TREASURES.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

It is my berlief that the colour in that description was written/described from a herbarium sheet... who knows what the colour can be when it has been squashed and stored for x years!!

Ian and I have been discussing this very matter with a forum friend and the same is going on on a German plant forum.

That's a fact,

in a herbarium white can become yellow indeed. But that still leaves the difference between glabrous vs pubescent pedicels!
I found the discussion on the German Plant forum but nobody there seemed to be able to give a definitive answer.

Oh, and another question, anyone ever seen Eranthis lobulata? The flowers aren't described in the FoC, so I guess they haven't seen this species in real life either!

There are two species - stellata and sibirica, both distinguishable just by glabrous or pubescent pedicels. Unfortunately all my stocks of Siberian Eranthis turned only stellata so sibirica still is on my wish-list.
Janis

Sorry for late comments, only today opened this topic.

[WimB]

I was looking some things up about white-flowering Eranthis.

Something didn't quite make sense...as I understand it, there are three white-flowering species in this genus. E. albiflora, E. stellata and E. pinnatifida.

But according to the flora of China E. stellata has yellow flowers and pubescent pedicels (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008006). All pictures I've found of E. stellata show plants with white flowers and glabrous pedicels, so that would make alll of them E. albiflora (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200008003)?
In the original description of E. stellata (http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.39015020108877;page=root;seq=28;num=22) there's no mention of flower-colour at all, but it also mentions the pubescent pedicels...anyone here who can shed some light on this?

 

This mistake about stellata flower color is in all Russian Floras as they judge by dry flowers in herbarium. Really they are white! May be China follows Russia? I wrote about this in my book BURRIED TREASURES.
Janis

Thanks Janis,

just looked it up in my copy of your book! I didn't realise you wrote about that genus too!

[WimB]

There are two species - stellata and sibirica, both distinguishable just by glabrous or pubescent pedicels. Unfortunately all my stocks of Siberian Eranthis turned only stellata so sibirica still is on my wish-list.
Janis

Sorry for late comments, only today opened this topic.

Janis,

I thought that was the difference between E. stellata and E. albiflora??

I heard the difference between E. stellata and E. sibirica is, that E. sibirica has flowers that look up, has white anthers and a white-green pistil while E. stellata has flowers which are growing sideways with pink anthers and a light-violet pistil. So, that's wrong, than?

[mark smyth]

wow very nice plant on John's page and the two doubles Noel Ayres and double Gothenburg form

[WimB]

wow very nice plant on John's page and the two doubles Noel Ayres and double Gothenburg form

Mark, you can order 'Noel Ayres' here: http://www.convallaria.nl/NL/ListNL.html (on the bottom of the page he sells some Eranthis cultivars)! Andreas Händel (mister Hepatica: http://www.misterhepatica.de/) sells some cultivars too but you'll have to mail him to receive his pricelist!

[David Nicholson]

Wow indeed.