Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: PhilG on February 20, 2021, 01:27:10 PM
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I'm hoping someone can help with an identification.
This mystery bulb came in a pack of Galanthus elwesii.
I think it's a Scillia and the closest I can find is Scillia mischtschenkoana. Although it doesn't look exactly like photos I can find.
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The timing of flowering seems right. But even with white flowered ones, they seem to have blue strips, not the green strips on mine.
I'm also wondering, if this bulb could have been accidentally collected from the wild with snowdrops?
The distribution of Scillia mischtschenkoana doesn't appear to quite reach Turkey, where G. elwesii are collected. But it does occur in Georgia where G. woronowii is wild collected and this pack did have a few stray G. woronowii as well. Certainly the bulb was about the size and look of a snowdrop. So if they occur in the same habitat (do they ?), then it's possible.
I know it could have also just got mixed up with the snowdrops in Holland when packed. But how likely is this? Scillia mischtschenkoana isn't something I see in garden centres (at least here in the UK). Also, this doesn't look identical to other pictures I can find of this species (if it is?), so I'm thinking it's not a mass produced clone.
So any help with ID and any thoughts on if it was wild collected or a cultivated clone would be greatfully received.
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Hi Phil, That's an ornithogalum of some sort - though I cannot guess which, sorry. Most likely just a stray bulb dropped into the snowdrops at potting up time.
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Thanks Maggi.
Yeh that does look a better match.
At least I had the right family.
I'll get searching the net again now.
Anyone any ideas on which one. Or does it need to get bigger first.
Just to add. The flowers open mid - late morning (was open by 10am today) and close mid-late afternoon (the sun has only just left them 4pm and they are closed already).
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I'm still after confirmation on ID, if anyone has any thoughts.
The closest I can find is Ornithogalum balansae.
This looks a good match to me, but I'm open to any other thoughts - either to confirm, or reasons why it can't be.
It looks to be self fertile, as I think seed pods are forming. It doesn't look like the flower spike is going to grow much more now - 6cm.
The leaves are currently 10cm long.
New photo's below.
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