What's Blooming Oregon--Robin

Kenneth Hixson khixson@nu-world.com
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:24:09 PDT
Robin
> Do you find that Camas leichtlinii, white form, generally blooms later than the blue?  

	First, the double cream camas is probably a double form
of Camassia leichtlinii ssp leichtlinii, the cream camas that is native
around Roseburg, Oregon.  You can see it in bloom in the medium of the
I-5 freeway, starting about twenty miles north of Roseburg, and along
side roads, etc.  There is a white form of Camassia leichtlinii ssp
suksdorfii, and you will see it mixed at random in a large enough
population of the blue flowers, flowering at the same time as the blue.
Some populations have several whites, some have none at all.
The cream camas flowers in late April around Roseburg, and probably
about the same time here, meaning the double cream is later than the
type and ssp. suksdorfii.  If you buy bulbs of the white form, what
you get all too often is the cream, not white.  Assuming you don't
get the blue ssp. suksdorfii, which is what I've received when I ordered
the white form.  I haven't heard of a white form of C. leichtlinii
ssp. leichtlinii, but it's certainly possible.  Or, is it?  As nearly
as I can determine, the only difference between ssp leichtlinii and
ssp suksdorfii is flower color--and flower color is usually not a
very acceptable definitive characteristic to botanists.

> What has surprised me though is how long Iris douglasiana has been blooming, at least a month. 
	Iris douglasiana is a variable species, and some forms bloom
early, and are nearly finished, while one received as "late douglasiana"
only started in the last week.  One of the reasons that I. douglasiana 
is used so much in hybridizing is that it has branched flower spikes
with multiple flowers per stem, unlike many of the other pacific coast 
Iris.  I'm still trying to establish "Mini Ma" seedlings, which I've 
found rather tender.  Mini Ma struggles to reach 6" high, but seedlings 
vary, almost seeming to be hardier the taller they get.

Ken



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