Philadelphus x lemoinei vs. P. lewisii

[arisaema]

Is there an idiot-proof way of telling these two shrubs apart?

[Maggi Young]

Not that this particular idiot knows, I'm afraid! 

[TheOnionMan]

Is there an idiot-proof way of telling these two shrubs apart?

So, I whip out Volume 3 of Trees and Shrubs hardy In The British Isles by W.J.Bean, and it appears that the name P. x lemoinei covers such a broad spectrum of hybrids, with Old World P. coronarius hybridizing with New World P. inodorus, P. pubescens, and P. microphyllus.  I have a plant of the tiny-leaf twiggy miniature shrub P. microphyllus growing and flowering in the garden, could show pix if you'd like.  Then, even more species are thrown into the hybrid-umbrella of x lemoinei, so this will be the harder item to define.

It might be an easier track, to learn what P. lewisii is all about, and seeing if any plant in question matches P. lewisii or not.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PHLE4

[arillady]

Mark a plant that caught my attention years ago was Fendlera wrightii - a photo in Phillips & Rix Shrubs.
It is featured in the Philadelphus/Deutzia section - Do you know a good reference to this and if seed is ever available?

[TheOnionMan]

Mark a plant that caught my attention years ago was Fendlera wrightii - a photo in Phillips & Rix Shrubs.
It is featured in the Philadelphus/Deutzia section - Do you know a good reference to this and if seed is ever available?

Pat, I do not know a source of F. wrightii, but there are sources for F. rupicola (some sources treat wrightii as a subspecies of rupicola, or a synonym of it).  I have a plant of F. rupicola I grew from seed from Sally Walker's Southwestern Native Seeds (link below), the plant is about 10 years old, and still a mere wisp of a twiggy thing, not yet bloomed.  I supply some links.

Southwestern Native Seeds has F. rupicola
http://www.southwesternnativeseeds.com/

Fendlera rupicola
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/White%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/fendlera%20rupicola.htm
http://www.xiongdudu.com/photo/Fendlera
...lovely pink form,
http://museum2.utep.edu/chih/gardens/plants/DtoF/fendrupi.htm
...more links, some repeats:
http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=Fendlera+rupicola

Fendlera rupicola var. wrightii
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/fendlera_rupicola.html

3 species of Fendlera in Southwestern USA, USDA considers F. wrightii a species
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FENDL