Bleached flowers of Pleione aurita

[JPB]

Hi all,

This spring, all the tips of the flowers showed some bleaching. Plants were healthy and prolifically dividing, so, what could be the cause of this?  I do not hope a virus or something. All my P. aurita's come from a single bulb. If I recall well, my P. grandiflora (pink form) showed the same, however, to a lesser extent. What could be wrong here???

cheers, Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

Did you have a warm or cold patch of weather as the buds were emerging?

[JPB]

Paul, it was rather cold. The year before was less cold, but then I noticed some bleached petals/sepals. however, less clearly than this year

[JPB]

I just came along some comments on this topic by Paul Cumbleton a few threads below:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1186.msg34756#msg34756
Looks like temperature is a determining factor in development of flower colour. And no virusses are involved, thank God!

I'll see what happens next spring. I''ll keep some aurita's at different temperature regimes (science revisited...YES!! )

cheers,
Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

I would have been assuming that some sort of temperature extreme had damaged the tips of the buds, so it is interesting that you've confirmed that it was rather cold.  Maybe that variety is a bit more intolerant of cold than others?  Will be interesting to see if your tests next year show any clear indicator.  Good luck.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I've experienced in the past - for Spring flowering species - that the colours can be less outspoken or intense when the buds are developping too rapidly when it's hotter than they would like it to be...   

[JPB]

I never saw these guys in their natural habitat, but it could be a normal phenomenon? Depending on temperature? Or other factors, or interaction of feactors... Maybe pollinators don't bother perfect flowers? And Pleiones don't bother than we do..