Fritillaria purdyi flowering now...
Jane McGary (Sat, 23 Aug 2003 09:43:04 PDT)

Paul Tyerman wrote,Fritillaria purdyi that is

This is interesting, because here in Oregon it is one of the later American
species to flower. In the wild, it blooms at the same time as Fritillaria
pluriflora, which grows nearby, but here F. pluriflora blooms a month
earlier. The first fritillaria to flower here is usually F. stenanthera,
but of course it is knocked off its natural schedule by being in a
(usually) warmer winter than at home. F. sewerzowii (syn. Korolkowia) is
also very early for the same reason, and February usually sees flowers on
F. striata, arriana, bucharica, raddeana, eduardii, and some of the yellow
Greek-island species of the F. carica/euboica group. (I certainly wish I
could get visitors out here in February!) As you can see, the colorful ones
seem to flower earlier than the dark purple and green ones; I wonder if it
has something to do with the emergence of flies or wasps vs. other
pollinators? Bumblebees and other bees are busy here long before I see any
wasps. And at the very end of the fritillaria season, the color returns
with F. recurva, gentneri, and eastwoodiae (closely related), which are
pollinated by hummingbirds--which don't arrive until RIbes sanguineum is in
flower in the woods.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon