Sternbergia, was protected ovary

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:14:23 PST
Angelo Porcelli in southern Italy, in a helpful comment on capsules 
in Sternbergia, mentioned "the bigger forms of lutea I grow."

I wonder if this is a plant I have here grown from seed collected in 
Corsica and offered on the AGS seed exchange several years ago as 
Pancratium illyricum? I thought I had finally obtained this 
Pancratium and was eagerly waiting for it to flower, but it did last 
fall and turned out to be a Sternbergia. It is a very large one, with 
foliage about twice as big as other S. lutea I grow. Can Angelo 
comment on the Sternbergia lutea of the western Mediterranean, as 
opposed to the eastern parts?

I have read that there is also a "miniature" form of S. lutea found 
on Crete, and I assume I have it here, because I have a much smaller 
one that is different from the small S. greuteriana.

Sternbergia fischeriana recently flowered here, being one of the 
spring-blooming species, but S. candida hasn't produced buds this 
year though appearing robust otherwise. I had S. colchiciflora in 
flower for a couple of years but have since lost it. Perhaps I let it 
get too dry in summer. S. clusiana is here as seed-grown young bulbs 
and I hope will flower in another two years. It is extremely drought 
and heat tolerant.

Incidentally, Loren Russell kindly provided me with seeds of the real 
Pancratium illyricum last fall, so I hope to have it in flower in a few years.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA




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