Leucojum JCA 630.480

Rodger Whitlock totototo@pacificcoast.net
Thu, 01 Apr 2004 06:09:49 PST
On 28 Mar 04 at 22:36, johngrimshaw@tiscali.co.uk wrote:

> Rodger Whitlock wrote:
> 
> > My mystery plant has fairly wide leaves, but the flowers are
> > unmarked. If Brian Mathew's 1987 key is accurate, it's definitely L.
> > fontianum. I wonder which group the Kew experts would place it in
> > since it has the wide leaves of Leucoum sensu strictu and the
> > unmarked flowers of Acis.
> 
> The leaves are best thought of as comparatively wide, when compared
> with the other members of Acis, not really so when compared with
> Leucojum. The two characters I mentioned are but two easily observed
> ones from a suite of differences, another being that Acis has solid
> scapes compared to hollow ones in Leucojum.

I should mention that my would-be L. fontianum has solid scapes. But 
it is certainly larger than and in regard of leaf distinct from all 
the other little leucoja. Oops, make that "aces".

Unfortunately I have not grown L. (A.) tingitanum(a), though a 
helpful pbs subscriber in Australia has sent me seed of it.

> > Also, does anyone know what the current thinking is on the
> > relationship of L. tingitanum and L. fontianum?
> 
> Since Dolores et al. do not mention it I assume they treat it as a
> synonym of A. tingitana.

Considering that Brian Mathew thought it worthy of inclusion in his 
1987 key to Leucojum, it's odd that they do not even mention it.

Methinks it's time for some enterprising botanist to review the type 
specimens of L tingitanum and L fontianum...if they still exist!

There's some kind of unresolved mystery here, primarily the question 
of identity of L. tingitanum sensu Mathew.


-- 
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate

on beautiful Vancouver Island


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