Ranunculus asiaticus has gotten very little play on this list during the time I've been a participant. I have a question about the cultivated forms of this plant. Older works give the color range for this species in the pink-red-orange-yellow-white range. In recent years some striking plum or slate colored forms have appeared. Does anyone know the origin of these? Jim McKenney Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where Crocus x luteus 'Stellaris' has joined the party, as have Galanthus 'Ophelia' and 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'.