Colchicum byzantinum and friends

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:25:59 PDT
John Grimshaw wrote,
2) The 'other byzantinum' Jim describes, with longer but narrower segments,
>is also commonly grown here, without a satisfactory name, though it is
>sometimes erroneously labelled C. laetum. I see that the RHS Plant Finder
>refers "C. laetum misapplied" to C. parnassicum but on what grounds I don't
>know. It is an excellent free-flowering plant, which I've also grown for 30
>years - came as a novelty bulb to flower dry on the windowsill.

Is there, then, an actual C. laetum? I have a plant under this name, 
acquired from a Dutch wholesaler, but it is quite different from what 
I have under the name C. parnassicum.  I suppose my plant is the same 
as John's "excellent free-flowering plant," as it makes quite a show, 
despite its narrow segments. It is a good performer in the open 
garden here in western Oregon and will be an important element in the 
Colchicum bed I plan for my next garden, where I hope to combine the 
big colchicums with Ceratostigma plumbaginoides if I can just figure 
out the trick to propagating the latter. (It ought to be a 
no-brainer, but nothing I try results in a quantity of viable plants.)

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA


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