PBS Forum

Google lens identifies it as Carlina acaulis - Google lens is a lot better than it used to be. Walking about I have found recently, people pulling out their phones to id plants, rather than seeking my opinion. An example of machine replacing man.

AI Overview
"E&OE" stands for "errors and omissions excepted". It's a legal disclaimer often used in business documents like invoices or contracts, indicating that the issuer may have made errors or omissions in the document and is not held liable for them. Essentially, it's a way of saying, "We might have made mistakes, but we're not responsible for them."

Someone I knew said it stood for "errors and omissions emitted"

Quote from: Bern on June 16, 2025, 09:22:09 AMAye, there's the rub! 

For me, the fact that the information above about "cleistogamous flowers" appears to be an AI hallucination. My query, prompting it to make stuff up.

In the week that there was news that Google is going to prioritise AI generated summaries over search results.

Bern - I am sorry you didn't get the flowers you expected.

amusing footnote, Google:
Carlina acaulis ssp caulescens cleistogamous flowers

get AI overview

"Carlina acaulis ssp. caulescens (Stemless Carline Thistle) exhibits cleistogamy, meaning it produces some flowers that remain closed and self-pollinate. These cleistogamous flowers are typically smaller and less conspicuous than the open, chasmogamous flowers. The open flowers are the more prominent, silver-white, starburst-like structures that are a defining feature of this plant. "

Quote from: Martin Bohnet on April 27, 2025, 01:42:10 PMLet's start with a special greeting for @David Pilling : not too blue parrot 

Beautiful plumage the Norwegian Blue (parrot).

Quote from: fdaniell on April 09, 2025, 06:32:36 AMHow much are these seed?

Best to point out that the offer was 23 July 2023 - time has passed and the offer will no longer be available.  Normally there is no charge for PBS seed, but you have to be a PBS member and pay the postage, which can be significant on large seed like Crinum.

Order form and price list attached.

There is a high level of interest in doing this; I have received about 30+ notes so far.  I'm pleased to report that everyone actually read the instructions and contacted me (not the list!) so please don't disappoint me by trying to send your orders to the list either.  Besides, the list won't accept attachments anyway.
Arnold will post the SAB catalog and a separate order form to the Forum, where you can download them both.  They should be available on Weds.  We will set the deadline for orders at midnight SUNDAY night 2/23.
You must use the order form!  It is a docx (Word) file so you can fill it out on your computer directly, and if you do please save it as "Smith Order" or some such so your name will be prominent when the stack of files are being organized by all of your dedicated volunteers.  Alternatively, you can print it out, fill in LEGIBLY by hand, and scan into a pdf, again with your name on it, and email either the docx or the pdf TO ME.
Please recall that this is open to members only, so make sure you use the email address actually associated with your membership so Arnold knows who you are.  We are only doing the US order.  If an EU order is done, that will be a separate but similar process spearheaded by the dedicated EU volunteers.
Last time, we advised you to expect shipping and other charges to amount to perhaps as much as the products, so in your mind just double the catalog price as a safe estimate.  In the end, costs came in significantly below this (at least in the US).  There is the possibility that the US will introduce reciprocal tariffs on South Africa; that country has various rates for various things, but it appears that 20% seems to be an upper limit.  It's not yet clear how this item will play out, but in any event my guess is that if you expect the total cost to be about twice the catalog price, you will still be pleasantly surprised in the end.
And finally, as before we will scrupulously follow all USDA requirements.  When all orders are received I will update my permit as needed, but in some rare case we might find that some particular genus isn't permitted and that item won't be included in your order.  You have our sympathy, but the rules exist for a reason.  Last time we sailed through inspection because Leigh takes great care with cleanliness and labeling, and the inspectors respond accordingly.
Any specific questions may be sent to me at boblauf@att.net

Botany Manor, Xbox Series X

"One game I wolfed down in a single evening recently was Botany Manor, a sedate puzzle game about growing all sorts of weird and wonderful plants inside a picturesque Somerset stately home. These aren't your typical roses and daffodils, though. Rather, these rare and exotic strains will only bloom under very specific circumstances - the right room temperature, say, or having its soil juiced up to a particular pH by crushing certain apple varieties into it. My favourite was the Wolfglove, which only bursts into life when you recreate specific sounds and wind speeds inside an old tower to mimic the environment of its mountainous home."

https://www.eurogamer.net/what-weve-been-playing-christmas

This link:

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77189053-1

shows Dipcadi serotinum var. fulvum (Cav.) Ball growing in all of Spain.

Oron replied:

"Not sure  what his reference is...
According to Kew which is the authority, it is in Spain and the Canary Islands as well.
The photo i took in habitat was in a population of hundreds of specimens all yellow, it wasnt only one plant.
See kew:
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77258461-1
"

Quote from: Carlos on December 06, 2024, 01:48:14 PMD. fulvum is North African, about two to three times as big and DOES NOT occur at all in the Pyrenees. Oron Peri just saw a plant with yellowish flowers.

The wiki says:

The two photos were taken in its habitat in the Spanish Pyrenees by Oron Peri.

Maybe I could say:

The two photos were taken by Oron Peri.


I have contacted Oron, we'll see what his reaction is...

Quote from: Too Many Plants! on November 19, 2024, 01:37:12 PMif you're asking me if you can use my photos, absolutely fine with that. I can try and find some past pics of my flowers too.

Thanks. There are some forum flower pics here, question is of which one.

https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php?msg=2234


Send photos to david@davidpilling.com

Quote from: Carlos on November 18, 2024, 12:52:24 AMthose are Drimia numidica.

Seemingly it was once Urginea maritima var. numidica

What do you think the photos on the wiki are of?

https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/DrimiaSpecies#martima

How do you tell the difference?

I'll do a wiki entry for numidica using the photos from here if that is OK? Or feel free to send in photos.

Quote from: CG100 on November 16, 2024, 12:03:29 AMBut many viruses are carried in seeds

Yes, no argument from me now. I was merely pointing out that before this discussion I had a different (incorrect) point of view.

Quote from: CG100 on November 15, 2024, 02:07:41 PMWhat virus?
At least some can be and certainly are.

Any virus present. It is common to read that seed grown lily plants are virus free, for example this quote from the RHS lily group:

They can, of course, be raised from seed which has many benefits. Not least of these is avoiding the transmission of viral diseases.

I believed this and thought the way to a virus free lily garden would be to grow it from seed. Perhaps lily seed is more virus free than other seed.

Quoting Google AI (which is becoming more erratic by the day)

No, seed grown plants are not always virus free
A small number of plant viruses can be transmitted through infected seeds or pollen. In fact, about one-third of plant viruses are seed-transmitted.


There is an interesting paper:
Transmission through seeds: The unknown life of plant viruses

The PBS wiki says:

"With a few exceptions, the most reliable manner in which to obtain virus-free stock is by germinating ones own geophytes from seed."

It then goes on to list viruses, stating which ones are not passed on via seed.