Hi Hugh, Right now im studying at Kew and im not at home. I'll ask my mother to take pictures this autumn so i can show them to you Regards M --- On Tue, 31/5/11, hpovey@talk21.com <hpovey@talk21.com> wrote: > From: hpovey@talk21.com <hpovey@talk21.com> > Subject: Re: [pbs] scilla madeirensis > To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Date: Tuesday, 31 May, 2011, 9:48 > Hi Michael do you have a picture of > this Scilla? > > Best Regards > > Hugh > > > --- On Mon, 30/5/11, Michael Benedito <jindegales@yahoo.co.uk> > wrote: > > From: Michael Benedito <jindegales@yahoo.co.uk> > Subject: Re: [pbs] scilla madeirensis > To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Date: Monday, 30 May, 2011, 23:51 > > Greetings > > Im from Madeira and I have seen this plant in the wild. In > some places it is almost gone but I know a few colonies > which are doing quite well. It blooms in Sep-October in > Madeira and during December in Kew which is rather > interesting. > > My plants at home produce many berries each year and seeds > are very easy to germinate. I'm also growing Scilla > maderensis var. melliodora, a very rare variant known only > to occur in the remote archipelago of selvagens islands, and > even here they only grow on the Selvagem pequena, an islet > which is less than 1 km square of area. The amazing thing is > that the flowers are scented and might be pollinated by > endemic lizzards (Lacerta dugesii subsp selvagensis and > Tarentola bischofii). The leaves are more silvery too and > i suspect this might be a new species as it differs a lot > from the standard form. > > They can be grown the same way as heamanthus species. > > Regards > Michael > > --- On Mon, 30/5/11, johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de > <johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de> > wrote: > > > From: johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de > <johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de> > > Subject: [pbs] scilla madeirensis > > To: "Pacifib Bulb Society messages" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > > Date: Monday, 30 May, 2011, 23:35 > > Dear All, > > > > Scilla madeirensis is certainly one of the most > beautiful > > winter > > flowering bulbs..... if it flowers and grows well. > > Apparently this bulb > > has such a narrow genetic constitution that is on the > brink > > of > > extinction in the wild. It is almost sterile and even > wild > > plants are > > said to produce no or very little seed. The reason for > this > > is not known > > as far as I am aware of. I wonder what you got as > seed > > under this name. > > There were some bulbs for sale when I was in Madeira > many > > years ago and > > I bought 2 or three, hoping to have different clones > and to > > get > > seed..... but no. I think there was one single seed in > all > > these years > > but the seedling did not live very long. > > I find this bulb very difficult to grow. It is one of > those > > plants that > > is always missing something: it is either too wet or > too > > dry, too cold > > or too warm or too bright or too shady. Madeira has > a > > very mild cool > > moist oceanic climate without extemes , so probably > my > > greenhouse gets > > too hot in summer. I am sure it is NOT frost-hardy, > my > > plants go limp > > and floppy even a few degrees above freezing. > > At Mike Salmon's former nursery in Britain I have seen > a > > magnificent > > plant in bloom a long time ago, something you > immediatey > > would want to > > grow at first sight. But Mike had no seed, no offsets. > If I > > remember > > correctly this plant in all parts was much much bigger > than > > my own bulbs > > even during their best days. I have a feeling that it > is a > > different > > plant, a different form of the same species or even > another > > relates > > species. Mike's plant was even bigger than than the > ones at > > Kew but I do > > not remember where he got it from. > > Maybe it is simply virused? And lacking and losing > vigour > > this way? I > > saw huge clumps in many Madeiran garden, but it was > not the > > season for > > flowers. If it never sets seed, the only means of > > propagation is > > vegetatively which would ease the spread of virus. > Maybe > > this would be > > an interesting object for a good micro-propagator? > > > > Greetings from summery hot and VERY dry Germany > > Uli > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >