This seems to be what is happening with G. rizehensis in N.E. Turkey. I did not get to see the higher altitude populations of reginae-olgae in the Taygetos. I was at their lowest altitude I beleive. I wonder just how autumn flowering evolves amongst normally spring flowering plants? I have the occasional Ficaria verna that is in flower from November. I have even seen Anemone nemorosa flower in autumn! Mark > Message du 05/12/13 18:27 > De : "Tom Mitchell" > A : pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > Copie à : > Objet : Re: [pbs] Galanthus reginae-olgae > I have seen this species in flower in the wild between late January and late April at different altitudes in southern Bosnia. In habitat the leaves are always present at flowering time, albeit sometimes only just. In cultivation in the southern UK, plants that would flower in the wild in February are in flower now; some with, some without leaves. It would be interesting to know exactly what triggers flowering but it seems from my anecdotal observations that plants that are adapted to flower in spring are capable of becoming facultatively fall-flowering in different climates. > > Of course there can be no gene flow between populations that flower at low elevations in January and those that flower at high elevations in April, so effective reproductive isolation could presumably drive speciation over time, but the natural variation is better described as a cline from fall or winter flowering before leaves appear to spring flowering after leaves emerge along an elevational gradient. Presumably there is free gene flow between adjacent populations along the cline. > > I've never visited the populations of this species in mainland Greece or on Corfu. Has anyone else noticed anything similar or different to the above observations in Greece? _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/