Fritillaria-2008

[Paul Cumbleton]

It is well known that micropropagation can result in plants that vary in some way from the original parent. The scientists call this "somaclonal variation". This happens because some of the chemicals and proceedures used in microprop can cause mutations.

Sometimes these mutations result in a plant that looks different to the original one used to propagate from. This is obviously a problem if you are trying to get uniform stock! - but sometimes can result in a plant where the differences are attractive and so the technique can be used to generate new varieties.

Where you do want uniform stock, there are certain things they do to try and avoid the variation - one of which is to regularly start afresh from the original material and not use the micropropped plants themselves to make further microprops from - as Paul explained so well previously. They also try to avoid using certain chemicals which are known to cause more mutations than other chemicals they could choose.

Paul

[Lvandelft]

Would like to know if Arthur's plant is flowering already? Pictures??

[art600]

Luit

Your wish is granted.  Taken today, here is a photograph of the 3 strange flowers, plus a close-up of the inside of a flower - I had to force it open.

[art600]

Here is a close-up of a Fritillaria minuta, not the loveliest of the species, but nice to have.

[Michael J Campbell]

Fritillaria conica,
Fritillaria Bithynica ex Turkey.

[Lvandelft]

Luit

Your wish is granted.  Taken today, here is a photograph of the 3 strange flowers, plus a close-up of the inside of a flower - I had to force it open.

Arthur it has really a little bit of F. michailovskyi, but very different ofcourse.
So I think I stay with my first thought. Something went wrong with propagation.

[art600]

Luit

I did send a photograph to Leonid Bondarenko and asked if he used micropropogation.  This was his reply:

"It can be a hybrid plant (F.michailowskyi  x F. kurdica). I do not use microclonal propagation, but many of my plants are of seed origin and free pollination can be. I can see more definitively, when see the plant in full flowering."

I will now send him the latest photographs and then post his reply.

[Boyed]

Some fritillaria pics from me

fritillaria sewerzowii (green-flowered form)

fritillaria collina (previously lutea) - native to our region, unlike other stocks offered in trade, most of my samples increase vegetatively

[Lesley Cox]

These are beautiful Zhirair. The green-flowered sewerzowii in particular. Is collina always so much taller than aurea? My aurea is barely 5cms tall though I know it varies.

[Armin]

Beautiful frits from all!

Zhirair,
very nice F. collina (lutea).
Also F. sewerzowii is extrordinary. How tall is it?

[Tony Willis]

last year I moved my meleagris which had been growing for some years in one spot and they are now flowering.They have been bought from the garden centre over several years.The first to flower is this one and it looks very different and i wondered if there were any ideas on what it might be.

[art600]

Tony

Looks like one of the numerous Chinese Frits that we know so little about.  Did you do business with Madame Chen Yi

[Lesley Cox]

I think it is meleagris but for some reason has grown a bit "odd." It looks thicker in texture, so perhaps some way towards a fasciated flower?

[Boyed]

Lesley,

Fritillaria collina is usually 10-12 cm tall in the wild with smaller flowers. The plants shown were replanted from wild 2 years ago. Last year only one flowered and this year all samples are in bloom. It seriously increased the sizes: flowers are the double size and the height is 25 cm. But I hope that next year it'll get into its best when the bulbs mature.

Armin,
Fritillaria sewerzowii is, indeed, very nice and unusual, especially in the photos. In real it somewhat lacks contrast. Height is 30 cm. Now all the flowers are open and it looks at its best. I hope to post more pics soon.

[Paul T]

Zhirair,

That Frit collina is stunning, and the green sewerzowii is rather impressive as well.  Think I prefer the collina though!    Wonderful colour and form to it.