What's Blooming Oregon
totototo@telus.net (Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:21:54 PDT)
On 1 Jun 2009, at 7:17, Robin Hansen wrote:
Do you find that Camas leichtlinii, white form, generally blooms later
than the blue? Mine (single) is just now blooming and the flowers are
huge and beautiful, but my other camas are nearly over. Seems like this
happened last year also.
Now that you mention it, yes, that happens with me too.
Nomenclatural quibble: if by "white form" you mean the creamy yellow form
native around Roseburg, I suggest you stop calling it "white", as the dark blue
form throws occasional pure white sports.
The creamy yellow form is formally Camassia leichtlinii leichtlinii, while the
dark blue/violet form is Camassian leichtlinii suksdorfii. One of those
situations where the type of a taxon is not typical in the everyday sense.
Finally, a word of warning about camas in general: if you are in a congenial
environment, every seed will germinate and, since the bulbs go down deep,
you'll have an ineradicable weed on your hands. It's reached the point where,
as with Hyacinthoides, I simply pull out all the flowering stems so that no
seed sets.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island