Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: Alex on April 10, 2012, 12:38:50 PM

Title: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Alex on April 10, 2012, 12:38:50 PM
A challenge: these were sent by a fairly reputable nursery as Pleione hookeriana. Clearly, they are not, but what could they be? Any ideas? I'm really curious! I should of course let the nursery know the error, although i am almost sure they won't have any true P. hookeriana to replace them with, so I might learn to love these if they look interesting...

Ta,

Alex
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: pontus on April 10, 2012, 12:43:57 PM
They look like a small arisaema species to me

another possibility could be frittillaria sp or maybe even a bluebell bulb, but at this time of year, these 2 would not be dormant...so i would say arisaema..
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Paul T on April 10, 2012, 12:50:43 PM
Pontus,

My first thoughts were Arisaema and Bluebell as well.  Actually, the first pic could have been a small sad potato at first look. ;D  That inset point on the top of the tuber in the second pic does look very Araceae to me. :-\
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Maggi Young on April 10, 2012, 12:53:13 PM
Cross posted here : http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8923.0

Suggest we stick with this thread!
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: angie on April 10, 2012, 12:55:05 PM
The first one looks like a dried up potato that has been in my veg basket for to long. Sorry  ::)

Angie  :)
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: bulborum on April 10, 2012, 12:55:56 PM
Looks most as an Arisaema for me
and more it looks if this nursery buys from Chen yi
a famous nursery with loads of wrong named plants  :(

just plant it and soon we can maybe recognize it from the leaves
if it is a small species maybe also from the flowers

Roland
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: pontus on April 10, 2012, 01:04:40 PM
yes, pot it up about 5-7 cm's deep in a very well drained humus rich gritty soil in half shade and then leave it to settle down and make roots. It will probably start shooting in early may
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: bulborum on April 10, 2012, 01:11:47 PM
I am not sure if I would buy there again
If they don't see the difference between a Pleione and an Arisaema
They probably send you next time potatoes when you order Shallots ;D

Roland
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Alex on April 10, 2012, 01:35:27 PM
Thanks all for the helpful replies. Arisaema does seem like a really good suggestion. I think we'll plant them and see what comes up, as I strongly doubt the nursery concerned is capable of rectifying the mistake.

Tthe establishment concerned is a very well known and (I thought) respected wholesaler; I ordered via my Dad who has a nursery (Tomorrow's Plants). I think the suggestion that they have played the Chen Yi lucky dip is probably very close to the mark.

Alex
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Paul T on April 10, 2012, 01:37:59 PM
If they are a respected wholesaler of plants, one would really have thought that they would have noticed that that isn't even remotely similar to a Pleione.  I certainly wouldn't be respecting them if they can't even see something that obvious.  Fair enough species differences or things with similar looking bulbs not being picked up.... but that isn't even close!! :o
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: arisaema on April 10, 2012, 01:45:39 PM
This is presumably the wholesaler that changed their name a few years back?

It wasn't!
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Alex on April 10, 2012, 02:42:35 PM
I guess it's OK to name them - it's Jacques Amand. Mods, please do delete if that's inappropriate for some reason, but seems fair enough to me. I should make clear, though, that the suggestion they may have bought these from Chen Yi is idle speculation only!
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: pontus on April 10, 2012, 03:31:09 PM
to follow on,

here is the REAL pleione hookeriana, growing in the wild...i did an image search on  the internet out of interest, and found this amazing picture :

http://www.google.ch/imgres?q=pleione+hookeriana&hl=fr&biw=974&bih=658&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=BFlPwJhrmZ1LbM:&imgrefurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photo/37273850&docid=S3dl2ZyqKgeZAM&imgurl=http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/37273850.jpg&w=2848&h=2136&ei=oEOET_zhIOXd4QS91sjrBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=672&vpy=156&dur=232&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=168&ty=145&sig=107172661710600742714&page=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=197&start=0&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:74

maybe i can save it and then upload it  on here for easier viewing...i love these pictures taken in the wild where you can see the plant in its natural habitat!
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: bulborum on April 10, 2012, 03:35:46 PM
I Just phone him

I PMed you the phone number
just contact him

He didn't receive Pleione hookeriana yet
so somebody made a stupid mistake by packing Arisaema's

Roland
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: pontus on June 05, 2012, 11:47:44 AM
did you eventually find out what this mysterby bulb was? did it ever flower?

Pontus
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: Alex on June 05, 2012, 12:19:52 PM
Actually, I did!

Sorry not to update earlier. Mr. Amand looked into the problem and found that an easily confused assistant had packed something with a similar (to him) name instead of the Pleione - what he packed was 10 tubers of the N. Indian aroid Remusatia hookeriana.

We were allowed to keep them with no charge.....I await the flowers with moderate interest (Google images does not suggest that I will exactly be pinned to the back of my seat by this spectacle).

Alex
Title: Re: Bulb recognition challenge
Post by: ronm on June 05, 2012, 04:19:40 PM

We were allowed to keep them with no charge.....I await the flowers with moderate interest (Google images does not suggest that I will exactly be pinned to the back of my seat by this spectacle).

Alex

From what I've read it seems that if it flowers at all its a major event! :o Apparently the preferred method of reproduction for the plant is by bulblets. ::) So at least you should have plenty in a short while,  ::) :P :-X
I hope you can flower it where others fail. Good luck :)
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