Misleading Photo in "Bulbs of North America"
Jane McGary (Wed, 17 Mar 2004 09:12:05 PST)
Rodger Whitlock wrote:
Plate 55 in "Bulbs of North America" purports to show a specimen of
Erythronium revolutum with mottled leaves. Indeed, there are flowers
that look like E. revolutum in the middle background, and leaves
with prominent mottling in the foreground.
The fly in the ointment is that those foreground leaves aren't from
the same plant as the flower scape. The foreground leaves are almost
certainly a form of E. dens-canis -- the manner of mottling and the
shape of the leaves are characteristic of that species.
The photo does show leaves in the middle background that probably are
those of E. revolutum, and there is some mottling visible on them.
Again, the leaf shape and style of that mottling are diagnostic of a
west-coast species rather than E. dens-canis.
odger Whitlock wrote,
Plate 55 in "Bulbs of North America" purports to show a specimen of
Erythronium revolutum with mottled leaves. Indeed, there are flowers
that look like E. revolutum in the middle background, and leaves
with prominent mottling in the foreground.
The fly in the ointment is that those foreground leaves aren't from
the same plant as the flower scape. The foreground leaves are almost
certainly a form of E. dens-canis -- the manner of mottling and the
shape of the leaves are characteristic of that species.
The photo does show leaves in the middle background that probably are
those of E. revolutum, and there is some mottling visible on them.
Again, the leaf shape and style of that mottling are diagnostic of a
west-coast species rather than E. dens-canis.
EDITOR's REPLY: I fail to see how there could be any confusion if one reads
the entire caption, which is only ten words long and states in full,
"Erythronium revolutum with mottled leaves, E. dens-canis with spotted
leaves." The author's distinction between "mottled" and "spotted" is
clearly explained in the chapter, and one reason for using this photo was
to illustrate that point. I doubt that those who read more than four words
into the caption, and particularly those who read the text itself, will
have to pen in a correction in their books.
Jane McGary