On 15 Mar 04 at 17:34, James Waddick wrote: > Does anyone know of an orange flowered winter aconite > (Eranthis hymelis) or other species? I seem to recall that one > exists, but again haven't been able to pin it down. Appreciate your > suggestions. I have plants grown from seed that came to me as Eranthis hyemalis 'Aurantiaca', from the (English) Hardy Plant Society about 15 years ago. If you are an eranthis fancier, it's fun, but don't think for one second that you will get a bright orange flower, at least not with the strain I have. What you get is a flower that is an orange-tinged yellow, something like the beaten yolk of a free-range egg or perhaps a chrome yellow. The normal form is a slightly green-tinged acid yellow. It might be that selective breeding could produce a deeper orange. I can't be bothered fussing to that degree. Unfortunately, my "orange" eranthis have been invaded by normal seedlings and I am forever forgetting to mark the "orange" ones in order to collect seed. I cannot tell you if the cultivar name 'Aurantiaca' is old and valid, a quasi-botanical epithet, or what. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island