Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: ddembowski on January 06, 2024, 12:02:41 AM

Title: Daphne ID sought
Post by: ddembowski on January 06, 2024, 12:02:41 AM

This is a distinctive daphne, I think. It is flowering now (in the New York City area), the flowers are a light yellow on the inside and plum/purple on the reverse.
It is earlier flowering than the D. mezereum, though similar in growth habit/height. Oddly, also, it seems to spread by suckering.

Title: Re: Daphne ID sought
Post by: MarcR on January 06, 2024, 12:45:22 AM

ddembowski,

I think it may be Daphne Laureola.

Title: Re: Daphne ID sought
Post by: ddembowski on January 06, 2024, 02:53:23 PM

Thanks, Marc. But just looking at pictures of laurola, I don't see any with the plum/purple reverse on the flowers. The pictures show only greenish/yellow flowers. On the other hand, the tendency of laurola, to sucker or spread does match up. I got this plant from John Bieber who had an extensive collection of daphnes. He labeled it kamtschatica, which doesn't seem right.

Title: Re: Daphne ID sought
Post by: MarcR on January 07, 2024, 05:15:22 AM

ddembowski,

Daphne laureola does have purple reverse; but not consistently.

Title: Re: Daphne ID sought
Post by: Tristan_He on January 17, 2024, 09:44:08 PM

I think it could be a variant or hybrid of D. mezereum - the leaves and general habit look right. It's very early though, and I've never seen one this colour.

I can't see any laureola in this - that has green flowers and waxy laurel-like leaves.