That eight-tepalled yellow Nothoscordum

Rodger Whitlock totototo@telus.net
Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:46:35 PDT
For the first time in many years, the plant I received ca. 1990 from Don Elick 
in Japan as Beauverdia sellowiana is flowering, mirabile dictu! I must have 
done something right, but I am not sure what!

Looking on the PBS Wiki, I see a veritable bouquet of names that might apply to 
this besides the one I received it under: Nothoscordum dialystemon, N. 
felipponei, Ipheion dialystemon, Ipheion sellowianum, Tristagma sellowianum.

It appears that a fundamental question which remains unanswered with certainty 
is whether the plant with eight tepals (aka N. dialystemon) is the same taxon 
as the plant with only six (aka N. felliponei), or a distinct taxon. The 
distinctions appear to be the number of tepals and the eight-tepal plant having 
much narrower leaves than the six-tepal plant, but these seem to me to be 
rather slender grounds on which to separate these plants as distinct taxa.

Has there been any recent progress on untangling this tiny morass? DNA 
evidence, perhaps?


-- 
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate



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