Dear All, Reading about scilla maderensis in the recent posts I would like to share my experience. I found this bulb always very difficult to grow (in northern Germany, in the garden in summer, under frost free cold glass in winter) it always looked as if it was either too dry or too wet or to warm or to cold, in other words: never happy. My bulbs came from madeira where they originate and were sold in a flower shop there. Then I discovered Scilla latifolia on the Canary Island of La Palma. I thought it was Scilla maderensis but was told by a local botanist who really knows that it is a different species. But me not being a botanist, I cannot distinguish them. This plant is VERY vigorous, easy to please, flowers much better with branching inflorescence (Scilla maderensis never did that with me) and sets A LOT of seed. Scilla maderensis is almost sterile, probably this species is on the brink of extinction in the wild due to extreme endemism and genetic depletion. Both plants come from more or less the same climate which is not really mediterranean. It is a winter rain and summer drought climate both on Madeira and La Palma but due to the trade winds and the island position the humidity is always much higher than in the classic mediterranean climate. And the summer temperatures are not as high ( Mainland Spaniards come to the Canaries for summer vacations to escape their summer mainland heat) These plants come from medium elevation where there is always some cloud condensation. That explains their relatively short dormancy, their tolerance of summer watering and their unability to tolerate any frost whatsoever. These habitats are 100% frost free. I have not seen Scilla maderensis in the wild but I saw it in gardens in Madeira always in partial shade. They looked like big clumps of one clone and even there I do not remember to have seen any seed. Madeira is even milder, moister and cooler in summer than the Canaries. I saw Scilla latifolia wild in La Palma in full sun but in dense vegetation so also partially shaded. But I think it tolerates more sun than Scilla maderensis. The flowers were poking out of the surrounding growth. Scilla latifolia is very easy from seed. My plants were grown from seed I was given by the told botanist who grew a lot of them in his garden in partial shade (under orange trees where they get some summer water) It flowers after 3 years but the bulbs will become much bigger later. branching inflorescence only in mature plants. I have donated seed in the past to the BX but this year they do not seem to set seed. Due to my move to Portugal my bulbs had do be very patient this year..... but this one is in flower right now, have hand pollinated! There was some correspondence about Canarina canariensis earlier in this group, Canarina comes from higher, moister elevations than the Scilla but the cultivation is the same. Both have a relatively short summer dormancy and do not want to bake in the sun but like to be kept slightly moist. There are also discussions that both species of Scilla are the same, S. latifolia only a variant or subspecies or even a local form of S. maderensis. I cannot comment on this as I am not a botanist. bye for today Uli _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…