Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Cacti and Succulents => Topic started by: Kristl Walek on September 07, 2007, 04:01:30 PM

Title: Orostachys question
Post by: Kristl Walek on September 07, 2007, 04:01:30 PM
Hello All,
I am trying to sort something out---and wonder if anyone could help.
I have received from several sources plants named as Orostachys spinosa
minima, sometimes O. minuta. I do not believe the former is a valid name,
but I can't find anything to back up my thinking. Is there such a thing?

I believe in fact the small plants I refer to are all O. thyrsifolia---

My plants are prostate, forming succulent mats, bloom is summer, same long
phallic flower stalk as O. spinosa.

O. minuta (which does seem to exist as a valid species) apparently blooms
late in the season (late fall)---so I do not think this is my
plant---although I have not been able to find a close-up picture of the
foliage anywhere.

It's the first time I have had seed of this small gem---and I need to put a
proper name to it.

And another question- I am trying to build up my collection of hardy succulents, and wonder if anyone here might grow any hard-to-come-by species of Orostachys or Rosularia. I have quite a collection already, and seed of the rarer sorts are very difficult to obtain.

Thank you,
Kristl
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: mark smyth on September 07, 2007, 04:11:43 PM
In the 2007/2008 Plant Finder it only lists
O. furusei
O. furusei 'Grey Cloud'
O. spinosa
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Kristl Walek on September 07, 2007, 04:28:44 PM
Mark,
Whether or not some of these are valid names, they are distinct plants in my garden.


aggregata
boehmeri
erubescens
erubescens (dark form)
fimbriatus
iwarenge
'Jade Mountain'
limuloides (Green Form)
malacophylla
spinosa
spinosa minuta (valid?)
thrysiflora

Kristl
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Carlo on September 07, 2007, 04:34:48 PM
Kristl,

I share your deep interest in Orostachys and other hardy succulents. While at The New York Botanical Garden I accumulated a few species, but in my current position, have only O. furusei at the present time.

If my recollection serves me, there was a discussion of Orostachys names/taxonomy on Alpine-L some time ago.
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Carlo on September 07, 2007, 05:01:11 PM
Sorry all...somehow that post got sent before I was finished...(imagine!)

In my file on the genus, I have three references for Orostachys

1)  An article by Ben J. M. Zonneveld in Cactus & Co. titled, "Orostachys and Meterostachys in cultivation" (vol. IV (1), 2000).

2) the treatment of Osostachys from The European Garden Flora

3) "Generic and Infrageneric Classification of the Old World Sedoideae (Crassulaceae)" by Hideaki Ohba, published at Journ. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo III, Vol 12, 1978.

One I do not have but would like to get is Ohba's newer article, Notes towards a monograph of the genus Orostachys (Crassulaceae) (1), Journal of Japanese Botany 65(7): 193-203 (1990).

With respect to your initial question, Ohba includes the following in Subsect. Appendiculatae: O. spinosus (the type species), O. fimriatus, O. japonicus, and O. minutus.

Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Kristl Walek on September 07, 2007, 05:05:36 PM
So Carlo, the Obha classification would give varietal status to O. minutus?

Kristl
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Carlo on September 07, 2007, 05:14:40 PM
No. Ohba (1978) lists it as a valid species in the subsection Appendiculatae. His key lists:

Subsection Orostachys
     
     Species: O. malacophyllus, aggregatus, iwarenge

Subsection Appendiculatae
 
     Species: O. spinosus, fimbriatus, japonicus, minutus

Subsection Schoenlandia

     Species: O shoenlandia, aliciae, stenostachyus

Three subsections, 10 species...

I'd love to have the 1990 article to see what he's done since.

Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Carlo on September 07, 2007, 05:35:57 PM
Ohba is also responsible for the Flora of China treatment of Orostachys

http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume08/CRASSULACEAE.pdf

It says there are 13 species, 8 in China ( 1 endemic) are treated, and there is a birt of location and habitat information.
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Linda_Foulis on September 08, 2007, 02:55:49 PM
<It's the first time I have had seed of this small gem>

Does that mean it will be in your catalog this year?   8)
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Kristl Walek on September 08, 2007, 07:26:48 PM
Does that mean it will be in your catalog this year?
.............................

yesum, Ms. Linda.....under some name still to be determined.

and as well a few other interesting hardy succulents (Orostachys spinosum, Rosularia chrysantha, R. alpestris, R. serpentinica (another where I have to confirm the name). of course new sedums, semps, probably Rhodiolas....

Kristl

Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: shelagh on September 09, 2007, 02:19:50 PM
Hi there Kristl,

I have a very small Orostachys which was given to me as O mongolica. Looking at the entries so far this name doesn't appear, perhaps someone out there may have some more information regarding it's authenticity.
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: henkw on September 10, 2007, 08:47:10 PM
Dear Kristl,

Could your Orostachys spinosa be Orostachys spinosum?

According to the AGS Encyclopaedia of alpines this should now named Sedum spinosum!

I have also the handbook of cultivated Sedums.

In this book Ronald L. Evans is only talking about Orostachys chanetii and Orostachys iwarenge.


Henk Westerhof
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: kelaidis on November 14, 2011, 03:37:56 AM
I realize this is ancient history, but perhaps you will check in on it Kristal!

We have mostly the same species of Orostachys, although I have O. chanettii, the best of the lot (spikes in June with a distinctly pink cast) and really beautiful rosettes. I have a picture on another computer...may post it if I remember.

Orostachys spinosa in cultivation is much grayer and larger than what I saw EVERYWHERE in the Altai of both Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The Altai spinosa is not only smaller, but rather greener. We have lots of it coming on.

I have three hybrid Orostachys from Ed Skroki that are wonderful: they need names! One looks like an exact intermediate between fimbriatus and malacophyllus.

Thank you for giving me a chance to show off my champion clump of O. iwarenge, which I love despite its biennial constitution...
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Great Moravian on November 14, 2011, 10:43:33 AM
Kristl,
I published the following address somewhere in the forum
http://crassulaceae.botsad.ru/orostachys.htm
which is a perfect Orostachys reference.
Orostachys spinosa seems to be an extraordinarily
variable species, monocarpic or perennial. I suppose you
understand Russian.
στάχυς is masculine and therefore one would expect
-us instead of -a or -um. Nevertheless, the Vienna code requires the following.
Quote
62.1. A generic name retains the gender assigned by botanical tradition, irrespective of classical usage or the author's original usage. A generic name without a botanical tradition retains the gender assigned by its author (but see Art. 62.4).
Note 1. Botanical tradition usually maintains the classical gender of a Greek or Latin word, when this was well established.
*Ex. 1. In accordance with botanical tradition, Adonis L., Atriplex L., Diospyros L., Hemerocallis L., Orchis L.,Stachys L., and Strychnos L. must be treated as feminine while Lotus L. and Melilotus Mill. must be treated as masculine. Eucalyptus L'Hér., which lacks a botanical tradition, retains the feminine gender assigned by its author. Although their ending suggests masculine gender, Cedrus Trew and Fagus L., like most other classical tree names, were traditionally treated as feminine and thus retain that gender; similarly, Rhamnus L. is feminine, despite the fact that Linnaeus assigned it masculine gender. Phyteuma L. (n), Sicyos L. (m), and Erigeron L. (m) are other names for which botanical tradition has reestablished the classical gender despite another choice by Linnaeus.
So the compound Orostachys is feminine too.
Orostachys spinosa is the nomenclaturally correct spelling for Orostachys spinosus or Orostachys spinosum
Grammatically correct would be Orostachys spinosus.
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: Kristl Walek on November 15, 2011, 03:33:49 PM
I realize this is ancient history, but perhaps you will check in on it Kristal!

We have mostly the same species of Orostachys

Panayoti,
That may very well be because I believe I grew the bulk of my original collection from seed that you generously sent me over a decade or more ago...sadly most were left behind in Ontario when I moved, so I am now starting over with a much reduced palette of these interesting succulents. The Orostachys spinosa rarely "greys up" here in moist/wet/low heat Nova Scotia & the little "thrysiflora??" is not thriving at all, although it stays alive. I will try putting a clump of one of the larger species in a pot next year, following your idea. It may very well like it better than in the open garden.

On the other side of the coin, I am now able to happily grow more than the one yellow Delosperma which you collected in one of your early trips to the High Drakensburg (which I have continued to call aff. congestum as suggested by you). This  I have spread all over the world through the business since then, and know it is super hardy---and found growing in many gardens from Alaska to Russia.

Most Delospermas I have tried since my move, which I could never come close to attempting to grow in Ontario are now (madly) romping around the new rock gardens here---needing serious containment. They relish the moisture. Even the D. aff congestum I always grew in a moister spot in Ontario, as I always knew it liked those conditions better (as do most Rosularia).
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: dagmar on February 05, 2012, 08:53:28 AM
I connect to this discussion.
I have, in my collection succulent of family Crassulaceae some species genus Orostachys too.  When I name plants, I used the publication  "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plant: Crassulaceae Urs Eglii (2001).
There are written currently valid all names.  There is accepted 12/4 known species  Orostachys.

Orostachys:
aggregata = O. malacophylla var. aggregata
-    - fa. rosea = O. malacophylla var. aggregata
-   - var. boehmeri = O. boehmeri
aliciae
-   - var. aliciae
-   - var. komarovii
boehmeri
cartilaginea
chanetii
chlorantha = O.spinosa
chongsunensis = O. malcophylla var. iwarenge
erubescens = O. spinosa
-   - erubescens var. japonica = O. japonica
-   - var. polycephala = O japonica
filifera = O. spinosa
fimbriata
-   - subvar. limuloides = O. fimbriata
-   - var. grandiflora = O. fombriata
-   -  var. ramosissima = O. fombriata
-   - var. shandongensis = O. fombriata
furusei = O. boehmeri
genkaiensis = O. malacophyllla ssp. malacophylla
iwarenge = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - fa. albomarginata = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - fa. albovariegata = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - fa. aureomarginata = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - fa. luteomedia = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - fa. magna = O. malacophylla var. iwarenge
-   - var. boehmeri = O. boehmeri
japonica
-   - fa. polycephala = O. japonica
jiuhuaensis = O. japonica
kanboensis = O. spinosa¨
komarovii = O. aliciae var. komarovii
latielliptica = O. japonica
libanotica = Rosularia serrata
malcophylla
-   - fa. rosea = O. malacophylla var. aggegata
malacophylla ssp. lioutchenngoi
malacophylla ssp. malacophylla
malacophylla var. aggregata
-   - var. boehmeri = O. boehmeri
malacophylla var. iwarenge
margaritifolia = O. japonica
minuta = O. spinosa
-   -  fa. alba = O. spinosa
paradoxa
polycephala = O. japonica
ramosa = O. malacophylla ssp. malacophylla
ramosissimus = O. fimbriata
saxatilis = O. malacophylla ssp. malacophylla
schoenlandii
serrata = O. malacophylla ssp. malacophylla
sikokiana = Meterostachys sikokiana
spinosa
stenostachya
-   - var. integrifolia = O stenostachya
-   - var. lepidotricha = O. Stenostachya
thyrsiflora
-   - var. rosea = O. sthyrsiflora
umbilicus = Umbilicus erectus
vyschinii = O. boehmeri






Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: kelaidis on February 23, 2012, 05:30:06 PM
What a treat to see your Orostachys, Dagmara! We do not have O. japonica over here, I don't believe. Most of the rest jibe (except perhaps for the chanettii)...

If spring would only come now!
Title: Re: Orostachys question
Post by: cohan on March 28, 2012, 08:45:25 PM
Dagmar-- great collection!
Does anyone know of sources for seed other than those Kristl offers? I never see it anywhere, and I have seen no plants in Canada! (except spinosa..and not that even locally)
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