Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Amaryllidaceae => Topic started by: DaveM on November 28, 2007, 08:44:09 PM

Title: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: DaveM on November 28, 2007, 08:44:09 PM
Can't recall a specific thread for these glaring golden goblets, so how about these for starters.
Sternbergia clusiana, photos from just west of Gaziantep, S Turkey, early November.

Beware of the glare   8)
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Maggi Young on November 28, 2007, 09:11:40 PM
Ho, yes! These are mega cheerful! Quite a variation again.... I love to see this.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Anthony Darby on November 29, 2007, 09:25:50 AM
A joy to behold these dreich winter days. Should ever need anyone to carry your bags Dave........ ::)
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 10:06:53 AM
Hi Dave ,

Thank you for your nice pics of St. clusiana - beautiful !!!
I have found the same species on a top of a greek island  - and also I found it on the way from Antakya to the syrian border .
Your pics remind me to show some Sternbergia pics from my trip on Karpathos in this year .
I'm not sure which species this is ....from my information only St. greuteriana grows there ...but the plants from this location look a bit big ....
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 10:08:57 AM
Here some more :
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 10:14:57 AM
and more :

This pics show the mountain where I have found this plants -they grow near the top .....it was a long and stony way .....
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: ranunculus on November 29, 2007, 11:40:37 AM
Beautiful thread.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 03:38:13 PM
on the way back from the top I could find this :
.....yes I know that is not a Sternbergia.... :P
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Kees Jan on November 29, 2007, 07:31:43 PM
"Your pics remind me to show some Sternbergia pics from my trip on Karpathos in this year .
I'm not sure which species this is ....from my information only St. greuteriana grows there ...but the plants from this location look a bit big ....


Hi Hans, the third picture shows the upright, wide leaves. This is very typical of Sternbergia lutea and, although there might be no official record of S. lutea from Karpathos, this island is certainly included in the general distribution area of S. lutea.

Having said this, I find it often very difficult to identify Sternbergia lutea, S. sicula and S. greuteriana in the field. The typical forms of lutea and sicula are very distinct, but there is quite often an enormous amount of variation, not just the flowers but also the leaves. I feel some of the populations I have seen have a continuum of forms (hybrid populations??), from typical lutea to sicula.

In crete I also found sicula and greuteriana extremely difficult/ impossible to tell apart!
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Kees Jan on November 29, 2007, 07:43:21 PM
I'm attaching the smallest of all the Sternbergia's: S. colchiciflora. It's a mountain species that has a huge distribution area, although it is perhaps not often seen. It's tiny, just 2-3 cm tall! This picture is from SW Turkey.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 07:56:01 PM
Hi Jan ,

May be you are right with S.lutea -I had this idea too .....
I had also found on Karpathos, on a other mountain, typical St. greuteriana -those were really small plants !
But I could not make any pics on this walk-the weather was extremly bad ( rain ,fog and heavy storms ) -I could made only a pic on the top .....
I was really surprised at the growing conditions of St. greuteriana : they grow between rocks -under Erica ...it was all really wet soil ....
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: DaveM on November 29, 2007, 08:08:42 PM
Wonderful limestone scenery from Karpathos, Hans. S clusiana seems to have quite a widespread distribution. I saw just a few not far from Dalaman in SW Turkey last year.

Anthony - there's just one answer - then book yourself on a trip to enjoy these marvels. Oops sorry, just a problem with school hols...... ;D ;D ;D ;D

I'd rather like to see S candida in the field. Any one a pic to post??
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 08:30:29 PM
To reach this mountains with St. greuteriana on karpathos was a bit difficult ......

The owner of our hire car tells us it is not possible to go in the northern part of this island - but I tell him it is a must for me ....he reported to us that there were new roads being built there and these are under contsruction -but it is possible with a 4X4 car .....but only if the workers made a break .....
please look for the pic :
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: David Nicholson on November 29, 2007, 08:31:52 PM
Dave, I have thoroughly enjoyed your pictures of Sternbergia, Crocus and Colchicum, so nice to see them all in the wild.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 08:33:44 PM
We made a appointment for one day when we can get a other car ( we had normal a Fiat 600 ) - than we wait on the cross where the road was build .....the road was closed !
We look carefully and saw this :
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 08:35:51 PM
We think it is impossible to drive this way -but after few minutes the workers go on the road side :
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on November 29, 2007, 08:40:52 PM
....and one jeep comes from the other side and he cry : go -go -go ....

So we jump in our car and drive this road - it was possible ......after 20 km's and around 1 hour we reach the next city ...and we could start our walking .....
after 17.00 we drive back

and you see here our car and the driver .....tired but lucky -it was a nice adventure ;D
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: hadacekf on November 29, 2007, 08:41:51 PM
Dave,
Look on my website, will see Sternbergia candida in my frame.
http://www.franz-alpines.org/
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Maggi Young on November 29, 2007, 08:45:36 PM
Hans, a little too much excitment for my liking! It is good you are here to tell us about the adventure!
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: DaveM on November 29, 2007, 10:32:41 PM
Wow!!! Franz, thank you for pointing me to your website, what a treasure trove of pictures, really wonderful. That Sternbergia candida is splendid.

(Maggi, we really do need a smiley for "drooling". .... well perhaps not but....)
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Ian Y on December 01, 2007, 10:26:51 AM
What a stunning selection of pictures of these fabulous plants, thanks all.

I am reassured to read that there is also confusion between  S. lutea and sicula in the wild.
It seems that it is not always possible to define good species.

One day Dave I might join you on one of these trips.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: DaveM on December 01, 2007, 10:03:27 PM
Ian, your company would be most welcome.

Fortunately some of the other species aren't as difficult to identify.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 02, 2007, 08:58:54 PM
Karpathos eh? I see that it is the natural habitat of the greater, orange-bellied backpack. Awesome! ;D
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on December 03, 2007, 06:40:24 AM
Karpathos eh? I see that it is the natural habitat of the greater, orange-bellied backpack. Awesome! ;D

Yes Lesley  ;D
Karpathos is the habitat - but we could catch one ( the only ) and we take it with us -now he is here in Germany ::)
and we hope for multiplication - are you interestet for a offset  ???
So may be one fine day :D
I hope it is not against your rules .....
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 03, 2007, 07:54:35 AM
Thanks for this generous offer Hans. I'm sure we'd be allowed a small one, though we do have various subspecies here, such as the black and white striped, the purple shouldered and the Adidas form. I even grow a couple myself, one being the Old Sacking species, with Leather Straps and a Hole in the Side.
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on December 03, 2007, 08:02:24 AM
ooops - we could breed one day new hybrids ;)
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Hans J on December 03, 2007, 08:40:38 AM
Lesley ,

Here special for you a pic from old days :

My old "Fjällraven" backpack - here on a trip on Corsica in year 1988 - this was the famous GR 20 .....our french members will maybe know this way ....
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 03, 2007, 07:34:21 PM
Good Heavens! That one looks very full and heavy. I'm surprised it didn't pull you right off the mountain!
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: dominique on December 08, 2007, 07:53:13 PM
Surprise ! After more a month than the others (see the seeds pod), a flower very late of the Sternbergia sicula ssp  angustifolia !
Title: Re: Sternbergia 2007
Post by: Maggi Young on December 09, 2007, 06:13:40 PM
A very good surprise, Do, especially with your river trying to drown you!
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