Colchicum candidissimum

[janemcgary]

Attached is a photo of plants grown from seed received from V. Pilous under the name Colchicum candidissimum. That name does not appear in the synonymy in the new Colchicum volume by Grey-Wilson, Leeds & Rolfe. The present Colchicum is clearly in the section formerly known as Merendera, and it has some affinity to Colchicum trigynum (M. t.). Its flowers are mostly white, some pink-flushed, and the three-part style is filiform and very slender. The anthers are versatile, yellow at first but opening to blackish. It is a small plant and as shown, the leaves are present at flowering. Do any of you know anything about this plant? It is a vigorous increaser and I'd like to share it, but don't want to send it out under an unverifiable name. I don't have access to any Soviet-era floras, which may be where "candidissimum" exists.

[CG100]

There are a handful of photo's online but the best is the SRGC website, reply 5, and on, source/habitat being given as Azerbaijan. The contributor gets vast numbers of mentions online.

Photos of Spring flowering Colchicum from D. Zubov (srgc.org.uk)

Colchicum candidissimum #floweringtoday #thebulbyard #colchicum #bulbs #twitter | Plants, Crocus, Meadow (pinterest.com)

Colchicum candidissimum 20180208 0002: Colchicum candidissimum 20180208 0002 (edgewoodgardens.net)

https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/DimitriZubov

[janemcgary]

Not helpful. I know what they look like, I just want to know if I should call them something else when distributing them. Some of Zubov's contributions on SRGC are names recognized in the Kew monograph, others are not. In fact, I probably saw this in flower in Azerbaijan when I was there in spring; will have to look back at my photos from the field. It is a snowmelt plant at higher elevation, but earlier here near sea level.

[CG100]

Zubov appears to be at least a semi-professional botanist, he called it candidissimum 3 years ago.He has lots of mentions in Kew publications.
The plant gets a few mentions across the www as the species.

If that isn't good enough and it gets no mention in the latest monograph, I would suggest that you are very unlikely to get any better informed short of contacting Grey-Wilson (et al). He is or was here -  kit@agsbull.demon.co.uk, if that does not find him, he will be contactable via the AGS.

Your council of perfection may be the enemy of the good - the plant seems reasonably well distributed in cultivation as C. candidissimum.....

[Arnold]

D. Zubov is a Ukrainian geneticist   with a passion for Colchicum, Galanthus and Paeonia.

He wrote an entire issue of the Bulb Garden for us a number of years ago just on Colchicum.

[Carlos]

Hi, I am in contact with Dmitri (Dima), I will ask him. He sent me three candidissimum in 2022, but the did not like my mild winter and they are now in Holland.

Carlos

[Carlos]

According to Plants of the World online, Merendera candidissima = Colchicum trigynum.

But D. Zubov thinks that they are different species, at least because trigynum has yellow anthers and candidissimum has dark bluish grey ones. He transferred it to Colchicum as C candidissimum (Miscz. ex Grossh.) Zubov here:

April - International Rock Gardener https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2021Apr291619719761IRG_136.pdf

Carlos

[janemcgary]

The color of the anthers is confusing. They are yellow at first, but then they open to dark bluish gray. It depends at what stage you see them. It does seem closer to C. trigynum than anything else. My plants received as seed under the name C. trigynum are much smaller than the candidissimum, but they also flower in midwinter.