[pbs] Sternbergia DNA
John Grimshaw
j.grimshaw at virgin.net
Tue Dec 19 01:13:49 EST 2006
I have also never seen fruits on my Sternbergia lutea, although I grow
several clones quite close to each other, varying greatly in leaf width and
flower size and shape. Unfortunately their provenances are not known, having
been rescued from the garden of Primrose Warburg after her death.
The 'standard' garden clone in this country at least is a narrow-leaved
plant, in which the leaves are rather dark green and stand erect, often
above the flowers at flowering time. It is a very reliable, vigorous plant,
with good-sized rich yellow flowers, and is certainly a good representative
for the garden. I believe it to be a single clone and it is not infrequently
given the name 'Angustifolius', with the reputation of being free-flowering.
I have very often been offered bulbs of 'a very free-flowering one' to find
that it is in fact the same old clone. Since it is so dominant in
cultivation one wonders what the comparisons have been made with! I wonder
if this is the triploid Ben Zonneveld has mentioned.
I have only seen S. lutea in southern Greece, where it is rather variable as
Jane McGary has related. I believe that I've read that in southern France
the plants are mostly 'Angustifolius' or similar. An autumn trip through
Mediterranean Sternbergia sites is indicated... what a hardship that would
be!
John Grimshaw
Dr John M. Grimshaw
Sycamore Cottage
Colesbourne
Nr Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL53 9NP
Tel. 01242 870567
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