leucojum roseum
Jane McGary (Wed, 26 Nov 2003 12:33:08 PST)

Harold Koopowitz has requested a full-plant photo of the bulb Mark SMyth
posted as "Leucojum (autumnale) roseum", and that will certainly help sort
out what it is, since the foliage of the L. autumnale (which can have more
or less pink in the flower depending on the individual) and the foliage of
L. roseum (which is not, as far as I can tell, lumped with L. autumnale by
any of the books I have here) are quite different. The leaves of L.
autumnale are long and held upright, while those of L. roseum are much
shorter, more flattened, and held nearly horizontally. In addition, L.
roseum is sweetly fragrant, but I haven't noticed any fragrance on L.
autumnale. L. roseum is by far the smaller of the two, and purportedly much
less cold-tolerant; I have always grown it in a pot in my frost-free plant
room. Finally, L. autumnale increases very rapidly, but L. roseum is slower
to increase, at least as I am growing them.

Both are exquisite in flower, but L. autumnale can become a pest in a bulb
collection through self-sowing. I've learned the hard way to remove the
capsules before they ripen. It is not a problem in the garden here because
of its small size and marginal hardiness in this climate.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA, where the snow has finished melting for the time
being, and the rhododendrons are on their feet again.