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Author Topic: Mystery snowdrop  (Read 2122 times)

Jack Meatcher

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Mystery snowdrop
« on: February 04, 2021, 04:06:13 PM »
Two or three years ago, I bought a bag of bulbs labelled "snowdrops" from a local garden centre. The owners have been trading from the site for over 40 years. I can't remember if the bags had any other labelling such as the species or variety. This year they have flowered and a closer look this morning revealed the colouring of the inner segments as shown in the attached images. I only have the Kew book on snowdrops and am not a galanthophile/expert so would appreciate any suggestions as to the identity of these snowdrops. I was expecting G. elwesii.
Many thanks.
Jack
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Cod

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2021, 05:55:08 PM »
Hi jack I have some garden centre elwesi that came in pots and they are identical. The leaves in the background are elwesi if they belong to the same drop. Hope this helps Jeff

Jack Meatcher

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2021, 02:48:15 AM »
Thanks for your reply, Jeff.  Yes, the leaves on mine do look like elwesii.  Sadly, due to Covid restrictions, the garden centre is closed at the moment so I can't ask where they got them from and if they knew the "variety". Where did you buy yours? I got mine in Wokingham, Berkshire. Jack
The Learner

Chad

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2021, 03:17:53 PM »
Named forms sell at a considerable financial premium, so if it was sold without a name it probably doesn't have one!

Chad
Inland Cornwall

Cod

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2021, 05:47:31 PM »
Hi jack they are sold as plain elwesi about five in a pot as Chad said. There are lots of different markings if you look. Mine are from Kent and I presume they’re sent over from Holland as all the garden centre have them. The also have pots of Polar bear, Snofox and Beluga at £5.50 for a pot of four or five. Lovely.

Cod

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2021, 07:43:42 PM »
Viradapice? Or poc? Anyone know?

Alan_b

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2021, 08:36:43 PM »
I cannot see any signs of the enlarged spathe that you would expect on viridapice.  And I think the green marks on the outer petals extend to nearer the tip.  If it was poculiform or inversely poculiform then the inner and outer petals would be more similar in length so I don't believe that is right either.  There are very many named snowdrops with "green tips" to the outer petals and I am certain there are many unnamed ones also.
Almost in Scotland.

Chad

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2021, 08:56:53 PM »
If it was poculiform or inversely poculiform then the inner and outer petals would be more similar in length.

I'm so glad you wrote that!

In some snowdrop circles, though I'm sure not on this erudite board, there is a mistaken idea that strongly demarcated green marks on the outers = poculiform [or if you accept the unnecessary term, inverse poculiform].

Poculiform, 'shaped like a little cup', is a morphology [shape] not a colour thing.  It should mean the outer and inner whorl are similar in size and formation.  Personally I think that covers both 'poc' and 'inverse poc' so think the latter term is redundant, but I am a pedant! The green marked 'sons of Trym' are, in the main, not of that ilk. Even Trym only manages it sometimes, often times the inners and outers are morphologically dissimilar judging from pictures from Google.  It isn't one I have here.

Chad

ps. I agree completely with Alan's diagnosis of the pictured bloom.
Inland Cornwall

Cod

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2021, 11:04:28 PM »
Thank you Alan and Chad your comments are very much appreciated as I am still learning

Chad

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2021, 04:26:33 PM »
Thank you Alan and Chad your comments are very much appreciated as I am still learning

So am I!

For reference this is 'Viridapice'.

The enlarged spathe behind the flower at the top of the scape [flower stem] looks almost like a leaf in this variety.

Chad
« Last Edit: February 06, 2021, 04:34:26 PM by Chad »
Inland Cornwall

Alan_b

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2021, 05:28:31 PM »
...Poculiform, 'shaped like a little cup', is a morphology [shape] not a colour thing.  It should mean the outer and inner whorl are similar in size and formation.  Personally I think that covers both 'poc' and 'inverse poc' so think the latter term is redundant, but I am a pedant!

You'll note that I wrote inversely poculiform rather than inverse poculiform because I agree with your pedantry.  Either way the flowers are shaped like a goblet, or at least somewhat more like a goblet than a regular flower.  However I think it is worth distinguishing between examples where the inner petals take on some of the character of the outer petals and vice versa.  Trym is far from being a perfect example of an inversely poculiform snowdrop so it is hardly surprising that neither are its many descendents.  However nivalis provides us with some much better examples, including the notch on the outer petals.   
Almost in Scotland.

Jack Meatcher

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2021, 11:47:53 AM »
I have a feeling my "mystery" snowdrop is G. gracilis. I saw some pics on a Zoom talk recently. Thanks for all replies. More justification for SRGC membership.

Jack
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Cod

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2021, 01:31:56 PM »
Are the leaves applanate?

Maggi Young

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2021, 02:29:24 PM »
I have a feeling my "mystery" snowdrop is G. gracilis. I saw some pics on a Zoom talk recently. Thanks for all replies. More justification for SRGC membership.

Jack
If the leaves in your original photo belong to the msytery 'drop, Jack, then they speak loudly  to me  of  elwesii foliage, not gracilis.
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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Jack Meatcher

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Re: Mystery snowdrop
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2021, 09:23:13 AM »
Thanks Maggi.  I'm sure you are right. I concentrated on the flower and didn't do a full examination. Lesson learned - thanks.  Actually, I have feeling they might have been labelled as "G elwesii , snowdrop". I bought them because they were inexpensive and thought they'd do to naturalise. I think I'll just enjoy them - whatever they are.

Thanks again.

Jack
The Learner

 


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