Who know this Galanthus ( ex Mars of Haslemere ) ?

[Hans J]

Hi all ,

I grow since many years (14) this strange Galanthus ...it was given to me by a friend and the label says :
Gal. plicatus ssp. byzanthinus ex Mars of Haslemere 1979
It is sure not a plicatus ( leaves are wrong and also the markings on the flower )
From the leaves ( applante ) it looks a bit like G.gracilis ...( they are a bit twisted )
I suppose it is a hybrid ...maybe with G.nivalis ? but which ?
In my garden I have nothing similar ...

Today I have found ( here in the forum ) that Colonel Mars had earlier a nursery in Surrey ...is he maybe the same person who was involved with the Cyclamen Society ?

Has maybe anybody old lists from this nursery ?

Thank you in advance for any ideas
Hans

[Alan_b]

I often see a type of snowdrop that I take to be nivalis growing in people's gardens.  This is recognisable by two features:

The leaves (which are narrow and applanate) bend anti-clockwise.
The leaf colour is a more pale-green than glaucous.  Personally I find this colour unattractive.

Below is an example of one I photographed yesterday, growing in a verge.  Now the mark on the inner petals is not nearly so broad as in your snowdrop but perhaps yours is a hybrid with this type as one of the parents?

[Hans J]

Thank you Alan ,

yes - I suppose also like you that G.nivalis is involved ....but the marking is really different

Hans

[Alan_b]

I completely agree Hans.  I just wanted to point-out that the leaves bending anti-clockwise is actually quite a common feature of garden-raised nivalis.

[Hans J]

I'm surpised that nobody here knows this old nursery 

I have just found in a old Rock Garden from a American Plantsociety Bulletin ( 1977 )
this Picture :

So my idea that Mars of Haslemere is the same person who was involved with the Cyclamen Society is right ...

Has nobody here a old plantlist from this nursery ?

Thanks
Hans

[Alan_b]

Be patient, Hans.  Lesley Cox wrote elsewhere on the forum about his nursery and I sure she'll arrive in due course.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Alan. I'm PMing Hans separately but can say here that yes, I did know of this nursery, must have been around 45-50 years ago or even up to 55!!! Was the Cyclamen Soc even in existence then? I've never belonged to it so don't know when it started.

I did buy from Col. Mars a few times with some success, given that I'm in the other hemisphere, then after marriage was not in a position to do so for some years and when I later enquired about him, the nursery was no longer around. As I recall, it was cyclamen that I bought and probably some of my earlier species were from that source, such as cilicium, graecum, africanum et al. I've often assumed but maybe wrongly, that the named Viola called 'Haslemere' was from his nursery too but not sure about that.

[Hans J]

Many thanks Lesley 

You seems the only person here in SRGC who knows this nursery 

My oldest Cyclamen Society Journal is from December 1979 ( Vol.III Nr.2 ) ...there is written :
Editor J.A.Mars

Hans

[Hans J]

P.S. ...I have just searched in my old copies of the Cyclamen Journal ...

I have now also found the first Journal ( from 1977 )
Mr. J.A.Mars was from 1977 - 1990 editor of this Journal

Hans

[Lvandelft]

Has nobody here a old plantlist from this nursery ?

Thanks
Hans

Hans , you might find some catalogues in the archives of Bot. Garden Glasnevin. Maybe they can send you a copy?
See here:http://www.botanicgardens.ie/glasra/op9.pdf

Viel Glück!

Oops, just found myself back in the Snowdrop pages 

[Hans J]

Many thanks Luit !

thats a interesting pdf !

Hans

[Alan_b]

...   Mr. J.A.Mars was from 1977 - 1990 editor of this Journal

A James Allen Mars is in the Surrey death register for 1991. 

[art600]

The Cyclamen Society has a trophy remembering James Mars

"James Mars Trophy - Best Society Collected Plant or Progeny Thereof"