Frit. meleagris... aquatic????

[Michael]

I have a friend that is currently growing his meleagris inside a pot that is submerged in the lake, and they are flowering!! I though they were growing on humid soil, but not on waterlogged conditions. Do you think the plants will theive in the long term? This is the first year he is growing them...

[Paul T]

I'll be interested to hear what others have to say on this.... I'd have thought that they wouldn't survive for very long at all if they were totally submerged.  If the bulbs were above the water level and the roots were below water level I think it would go OK while in growth, at least to some degree, but I would be assuming that at dormancy the bulb would just rot?

[Carlo]

It may be the LAST year that he grows them...

[Maggi Young]

As I understand it, the last remaining Fritillaria meadows in England are fairly damp, which has always made us surprised that these frits are so happy in our dry, very compacted driveway......but there is all the difference in the world between a damp meadow and a lake! I would expect death of these frits to occur sooner rather than later.

This reminds me of how i have heard of Gentiana sino-ornata flowering in very watery situations in China.... but if one attempted to recreate those conditions in cultivation, there would be no success.... just because a plant can be seen at a certain point in its growth cycle in a particular state, be it totally waterlogged or baked solid, it does not mean that it could, or would survive those conditions all the time!

[SueG]

The famous frit meadows in Emgland are often called water meadows but sometimes Lammas meadows (not yet found out why - but see link below) and they can be in flood anytime in the winter or spring. I found a DEFRA web page with a picture of a meadow at Cricklade covered with water with the frit flowers standing proud of the water surface.
These meadows could be very wet during 6 months of the year but would dry out in the summer so I guess this is how the bulbs survive as autumn, winter and spring they will get very wet but will be growing and the water level won't be continuous.
The other possible point is that while these meadows are famous (and wonderful when in flower) they could represent the relict sites for the plants which simply have escaped any other form of cultivation, maybe the frits were happier somewhere slightly less damp, but these meadows have all been used up for intensive farming/housing/industry.
Lammas meadows - info here http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/hereford/reserves/luggmeadow.htm
So frits arn't water plants but will stand temporary flooding
Could be the last year your friend grows them unless they do get some 'dry' time. . .
Sue

[Michael]

Thanks a lot for the help, now i understand why they are "apparently" happy!

[Ezeiza]

A number of bulbous plants are temporarily "flooded" in the wild mainly at flowering time.

Alpines are a good example but that is mainly ice water.

Best wishes

[Gerry Webster]

North Meadow at Cricklade in Wiltshire is the most famous of the British water meadows in which F. meleagris  grows. A few years ago it was  estimated to contain about 5 million plants, three-quarters of the entire British population.

In his book on Narcissus, John Blanchard has a fine photo of submerged N.jonquilla  flowering away happily (p76).