leucojum roseum

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Wed, 26 Nov 2003 12:33:08 PST
Harold Koopowitz has requested a full-plant photo of the bulb Mark SMyth 
posted as "Leucojum (autumnale) roseum", and that will certainly help sort 
out what it is, since the foliage of the L. autumnale (which can have more 
or less pink in the flower depending on the individual) and the foliage of 
L. roseum (which is not, as far as I can tell, lumped with L. autumnale by 
any of the books I have here) are quite different. The leaves of L. 
autumnale are long and held upright, while those of L. roseum are much 
shorter, more flattened, and held nearly horizontally. In addition, L. 
roseum is sweetly fragrant, but I haven't noticed any fragrance on L. 
autumnale. L. roseum is by far the smaller of the two, and purportedly much 
less cold-tolerant; I have always grown it in a pot in my frost-free plant 
room. Finally, L. autumnale increases very rapidly, but L. roseum is slower 
to increase, at least as I am growing them.

Both are exquisite in flower, but L. autumnale can become a pest in a bulb 
collection through self-sowing. I've learned the hard way to remove the 
capsules before they ripen. It is not a problem in the garden here because 
of its small size and marginal hardiness in this climate.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA, where the snow has finished melting for the time 
being, and the rhododendrons are on their feet again.


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