> Does anyone know in what year William Price viewed these variations in L. > formosanum priceii? > I'd appreciate receiving the reference....Cynthia Mueller, William Price accompanied Henry John Elwes to Taiwan (Formosa in those days) in 1912 (preceded by a tour through Malaysia and Indonesia). HJE wrote a fascinating account in his autobiography, full of information on all aspects of the natural history of Taiwan. He found L. formosanum at lower altitudes and says that 'Price afterwards found at much higher elevations another lily, which by the Japanese botanists is considered identical with L. philippinense. This plant has proved hardy in the Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, though I cannot grow it outside at home.' It is evident that Price was often sent off alone, because Elwes' increasing age and girth (he was 66) made him 'less able than formerly to get about the steep mountain paths on foot.' They were in Taiwan for two months, from February to April, before going on to Japan. It seems that Price later returned to Taiwan to collect plants, hence the 'afterwards' in the note about L. formosanum. The other notable monocot introductions from this expedition were Tricyrtis formosana (as T. stolonifera) and Pleione 'pricei' (now P. formosana 'Oriental Grace'). John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Tel. 01242 870567 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cynthia Mueller" <c-mueller@tamu.edu> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 12:56 AM Subject: Re: [pbs] pbs : Lilium formosanum > Dear John, Tony & All, > College Station, Texas > >>>> "John Grimshaw" <j.grimshaw@virgin.net> 9/2/2008 3:10 PM >>> > Thank you, Tony, for that very interesting account of L. formosanum in > the > wild. I've re--read the account in Woodcock & Stearn's 'Lilies of the > World' > (1950), which remains a most useful reference on lilies. They quote > William > Price: 'In the plains the flower is pure white, but as one ascends the > perianth becomes faintly marked with red on the reverse. Above 6000 feet > it > is wonderfully different, being quite a small slender plant about one foot > high with a perianth of confrming size. At the higher elevations the red > markings become deeper and take the form of rich red bands on the keels of > the perianth segments. The change is so gradual and continuous that it is > obviously the same species all the time.' > > It sounds as if the pattern of variation with altitude has noy changed in > the past hundred years. > > John Grimshaw > > > Dr John M. Grimshaw > Sycamore Cottage > Colesbourne > Nr Cheltenham > Gloucestershire GL53 9NP > > Tel. 01242 870567 > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tony Avent" <tony@plantdelights.com> > To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 6:49 PM > Subject: Re: [pbs] pbs : Lilium formosanum > > >> John and others: >> >> While I was in Taiwan, I replied about the Lilium formosanum that I had >> seen, all of which had the purple flower backs and were about 3-4' >> tall. On our final day in the field, coming down from Ali Shan in the >> Central Mountains, when we dropped below 5,000' elevation, all of a >> sudden the Lilium formosanum below that elevation were all 6' tall and >> had no purple staining to the back of the petals. These plants are >> identical to the plant that we and others sell in the US as L. >> formosanum. It appears that the variation is simply one of ecotypes >> unless someone goes and names the non-purple back form as a subspecies. >> I hope this sheds more light on the subject. >> >> Tony Avent >> Plant Delights Nursery @ >> Juniper Level Botanic Garden >> 9241 Sauls Road >> Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA >> Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F >> Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F >> USDA Hardiness Zone 7b >> email tony@plantdelights.com >> website http://www.plantdelights.com/ ( http://www.plantdelights.com/ ) >> phone 919 772-4794 >> fax 919 772-4752 >> "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least >> three times" - Avent >> >> >> >> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> pbs mailing list >> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >> http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG. >> Version: 7.5.526 / Virus Database: 270.6.14/1647 - Release Date: >> 02/09/2008 06:02 >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.526 / Virus Database: 270.6.15/1648 - Release Date: > 02/09/2008 17:29 > >