Lilium 'Mrs R O Backhouse'
Kenneth Hixson (Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:26:00 PDT)
Roger:
I have two seed-grown clumps of martagon lilies that resemble
pictures and descriptions of 'Mrs R O Backhouse'. However, the two
clumps are fairly distinct.
Questions:
1. Is 'Mrs R O Backhouse' generally considered to come true from seed?
and
3. How can these others be distinguished from 'Mrs R O Backhouse'?
Mrs. R. O. Backhouse is a clone, and does not come true from seed
Because martagons and hybrids thereof are usually fairly slow
growing from scales,
martagon hybrids are often grown from seed, and there are many seedlings
that resemble
to some extent, named clones such as Mrs. R. O. Backhouse. The most obvious
differences would of course be color of flowers, sometimes height of the
plant, blooming
earlier or later, etc, etc--all the ways seedlings can be expected to
vary from a parent.
Until quite recently these two clumps were suppositiously identified
as 'Mrs R O Backhouse' and L. × dalhansonii, but images and
descriptive texts found via Google reveal that the latter is quite
distinct from the former. Whatever I have, it isn't × dalhansonii.
x dalhansonii is a grex name for all the seedlings of the cross of
L. martagon dalmaticum
and L. hansonii, and they do of course vary to some extent. How long
seedlings of the
seedlings of the original cross are entitled to the x dalhansonii name,
I am unsure, but if
your seedlings are of a mother plant of x dalhansonii crossed with some
other
martagon hybrid, (ie, Open Pollenated) they would be martagon hybrids,
not x dalhansonii.
An updated CD of martagon lilies was recently produced, and last
year Gene Fox
put out his book on martagons, both of which have pictures you can
compare with your plants.
If you wish, your questions can be posted to the lily list and
someone more expert
than I am can try to answer more exactly.
Ken