L. pitkinense

diana chapman rarebulbs@earthlink.net
Tue, 01 Jul 2003 17:34:13 PDT
Hello Ken:

I stand corrected on L. pardalinum ssp. giganteum - I was going on what the
USDA said.  They would not let me sell it without a CITES certificate, and
confiscated an overseas order, insisting it was L. pitkinense.  The plants I
had were very large and very vigorous, which doesn't sound like the
description you and Mary Sue give of the true L. pitkinense.

Diana

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Hixson" <khixson@nu-world.com>
To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: [pbs] L. pitkinense


> Dear Diana-
> >The growth is described as "rhizomatous", but my plants would form
densely
> >clustered masses around the main plant stem, all covered in scales.  They
> >could be separated by cutting into chunks.  They could not be pulled
apart,
> >and I would not have described this as "rhizomatous"
> L. pardalinum usually forms rhizomes which form multiple branches,
> and the branches in turn rebranch-not just in one layer, but up and down
as
> well as on a level.  In a very few years there is a huge mass of bulbs and
> stems, none of which get enough nutrients, thus non flowering.  Dividing
> L. pardalinum often sets it back and it "sulks" for a couple years.  I've
> often thought that is because the division is done too late, in the fall
like
> most other lilies.  L pardalinum, being adapted to west coast growing
> conditions,
> makes its' new roots much sooner than lilies from other areas, and digging
it
> too late would result in "losing" this years' roots.  I have often wished
I
> could compare digging and dividing as soon as the leaves brown with
digging
> in late August.  Early September is probably too late-new roots may have
> already
> started growing.
>
> My plants did not show any sign of virus the
> >first two or three years, so they could have acquired it in my care or
could
> >have been virused to start out with.  The plants CNPS here (Humboldt
County)
> >are selling now are virused.
> I have less problem with west coast lilies getting  virus than most other
> lilies-but then I may not have the aphids and leafhoppers you have.
>
> There is no such thing as L. pardalinum ssp.
> >giganteum (although CNPS still calls it that), and the USDA and Fish &
Game
> >both say it is L. pitkinense.  My plants were destroyed.
> Well, actually, yes there is.  At one time, L. pardalinum ssp. giganteum
> was called L. harrisianum, but the trend in recent years has been to
submerge
> most west coast lilies into L. pardalinum, one enormously variable
species.
> First L. harrisianum became L. pardalinum ssp. giganteum, then just L.
> pardalinum.
> In this same vein, L. pitkinense may be L. pardalinum-and actually, that
> might be justified, though it was as distinct as L. harrisianum.  If they
are
> both L. pardalinum, they are the same species, but not the same thing.  It
is
> about like saying a pink hyacinth and a blue hyacinth are both hyacinths,
> so they are the same thing.
> I no longer have L. pitkinense, but what I grew under that name had bulbs
> which were much less vigorous and spreading.  They did have rhizomes, and
they
> did branch, but not as much as L. pardalinum giganteum.  The plants also
were
> smaller in all parts than the L. pardalinum I had, which again was smaller
> than L. pardalinum ssp. giganteum.  L pitkinense was originally found in
the
> Pitkin Marsh, and for a long time that was the only location, and there
were
> only about fifty plants when the species was named.  A few years later it
was
> reported that blackberries were invading the marsh, and after an estensive
> search only seven plants were found.  I believe Mary Sue mentioned a
second
> location, which I haven't otherwise heard about.  Given that the name
> is being used for two very different plants, it shouldn't be any surprise
> that
> there is a lot of confusion about what L. pitkinense really is.  One of
the
> pictures in my email yesterday was from a man in England, wanting to know
if
> what he had was L. pitkinense.
> Ken
>
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