The two photos recently posted to the Pacific Bulb Society - Tulipa page are terrific. I have comments on each. The photos are located at: http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… The photo by Jane McGary of Tulipa orithyioides Vved. has me intrigued. The plant looks akin to T. polypetala, with white flowers, yellow center, and backs of outer tepals an olive color suffused mauve-ish. But the similarity ends there as surely the stiffly upright foliage and more starry flowers render a distinctive look apart from polychroma. Based on an IPNI search, I come up with the spelling "orithyioides" for the species. It's hard to tell from the photo, but I must ask; Jane, are the stems multiflowered? If so, perhaps it's in the Biflores section similar to T. polychroma. Also, are the flowers scented? T. polychroma is heavenly perfumed. Curious to learn what the epithet "orithyioides" indicates, the only thing I could find is a bit of greek mythology: "Orithia (or Oreithyia) was a daughter of the Amazon Queen Marpesia. When her mother was killed by Asian barbarians, her mother's position fell to her. She forged an alliance with Sagillus, King of Scythia, who sent his son with an army to help Orithia avenge her mother's death." Is there a relation between this and the species name? Dave Brastow posted a gorgeous photo of Tulipa pulchella var humilis... thanks Dave! The naming of this species is contentious, most often seen the way Dave labeled it. I think today it is recognized as T. pulchella (Fenzl at Regel) Baker. But horticulturally, there are two distinct forms, one with blue to black centers, and another with yellow centers. I believe these are analogous to Hoog & Dix's Tulipa humilis 'Violacea Black Base" and T. humilis "Violacea Yellow Base" respectively, but I'm just guessing. Anyone care to attempt clarifying the naming of the tulips in the "humilis" alliance? Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5 ============================================== >> web site under construction - http://www.plantbuzz.com/ << alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western american alpines, iris, plants of all types!