Responding to Iain: I'm not sure how strictu the sensu is, insofar as the seed came from the NARGS exchange labeled v. pricei -very dwarf. Sown 11/91; Bloomed 7/94. The resulting plants were certainly pricei-size; they died out some time after blooming. Seed from them sown 1/95 bloomed 7/04, and it is those that are the current full-size ones. I grew another v. pricei, received as a plant from NARGS, that bloomed 7/91 and then died so could not have entered the mix, and that's the extent of what I've grown. I have not paid attention to whether there's been subsequent seed-set. I've assumed this simply reflected genetic variability within the species, and since I have no information about the actual parentage of the first batch of seeds, beyond that they were of garden origin, I can hardly rule that out, but I would be very interested in further thoughts. Jim Jones -----Original Message----- From: info@auchgourishbotanicgarden.org To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org Sent: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 4:03 pm Subject: [pbs] today's postings If I may could I contribute one comment and ask for clarification on one of the posts please. Ref: Jim Jones and his 'long journey' with Lilium formosanum var. pricei. Am I understanding the contribution on this post correctly? Namely, the progression from seed of the dwarf form of this taxon L. formosanum var. pricei, sensu strictu, to a situation now where following the resulting passage of generations from seed has resulted in the production of progeny through multiple generations resulting in the reversion to the nominate form i.e. L. formosanum v. formosanum. Could Mr. Jones help a little please by saying how many generations are involved from the outset to the present, roughly; and could he also say whether or not he also grows any other types or forma of L. formosanum as well please. I suspect I may well have miss-understood the reading of the post and apologise in advance if so, because I am struggling with the concept of reversing the evolutionary process described in such short time and generational scales. Without crossing i.e. hybridisation, controlled or accidental, between the montane forma with the nominate coastal forma of this, or any other similar taxa, I think there needs to be some other influence[s] at play here to explain such a radical transformation but I would be very grateful to learn more and if perhaps if relevant I might refer to this development in the new monograph please. Ref: Lily bulb handling in a general sense. My experience of the way lily bulbs are handled between supplying nursery, wholesaler or exporter is limited so far, with one excellent exception to that of Tony Avent's nursery in America, to what happens here amongst European and Chinese sources, with very few exceptions, where the bulbs have their roots trimmed to such an aggressive extent that the mortality amongst lily bulbs is consequently horrendously high. For anyone interested, as a result of a wide range of trials here I would suggest that there isn't any room for doubt now that the best treatment seems to be one in which the root system as existing in late summer and autumn should be left more or less intact as far as possible, within reason, and the bulbs shipped in that way perhaps with the roots gently washed out from any soil or other material and packed in a breathable type of polythene bag or standard robust type of paper bags developed for shipping bulbs while using some sort of inorganic material or peat moss that can act as a buffer against rough handling in transit. The problem for European, for which read largely Dutch bulb suppliers, it seems that their standard means for processing lily bulbs prior to transit is to treat them as they have done for over a century now with regards to other genera such as Narcissus, Tulipa and Iris all of which have a degree of protection from their 'tunics' or outer scales, something lilies clearly don't have. Also, the period of root development in Lilium works to an entirely different 'beat' than species within these other genera. I don't want to drone on, however, no doubt there are some species of Lilium which behave differently, never the less in my expereince lilies initiate important new root development during the autumn and early winter while soil retains some residual heat, this enables them to get off to a prompt start when spring soil temperatures kick in. I would welcome any comments or contrary views if anyone has the time please. Regards, Iain -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 97903 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len/ The Professional version does not have this message