Dactylorhizas 2012

[mark smyth]

Fred, what does it look like? Any photos?

Tony I found some babies today growing among Geranium Rozanne. I'll check again tomorrow but I think they have no spots

[mark smyth]

My spotty babies are doing really well. A few have flower stems which means they have been in the garden for several years.

And the spotless babies that are growing among the roots of Geranium Rozanne

[mark smyth]

A large plant currently 13 inches / 33cm high. It was a self sown seedling a few years ago

[Maren]

Mark, you should start a trade in Spotty Babies. I know I'd love some.

[mark smyth]

Maren if only I had enough

[mark smyth]

I found/noticed another spotty baby. This is growing in the crown of a Hellebore so probably no chance of getting it out.

Are the leopard spots significant?

[fredg]

Are the leopard spots significant?

Not particularly Mark, I have seedlings with leopard markings.

[Neil]

Dactylorhiza umbrosa

[mark smyth]

Thank Neil.

D. umbrosa has lovely shaped flowers

Does anyone fail to see Dactylorhiza seedlings until they flower? I found one today. I walked by a small raised bed and a bit of pink caught my eye. Plain green leaves. I'll get a photo tomorrow.

[angie]

Mark I found six seedling last week in a potted plant that had died. I threw in the field to rot down. I then looked around and there was another one on my dead fern tree. I have never seen this before or maybe I never knew what they were. These were spotted , I think if they were just the green leaves I wouldn't have noticed them until they were flowering.
Great when you find plants.

Angie 

[Tony Willis]

Neil

very interesting to see,lovely flower

[Maren]

Seedlings of Dact. elata (?) deflasked in 2010 into pure sponge rock and not touched since, except for watering and the occasional weak feed. - The flask came from Equatorial plants. I'm rather pleased with the result.
Why are some spotted and others not? No idea but maybe someone here has some suggestions. I shall photograph them again when they flower.

[Tony Willis]

Maren

you say they are Dact elata but the label in the pot says foliosa but either way
my first suggestion would be that they are not either but a hybrid.

My books say plain leaves but can rarely be spotted for both but I think those are outside that parameter.

I wonder where the seed came from?

They look very good plants.

[Maren]

Hi Tony,

you caught me there, I mislabeled the .jpgs, silly me. The flask came from Equatorial Plants equatorialplants@teesdaleonline.co.uk. I'll have to ask Dick Warren about them. He may not know, as he just receives the pod in good faith. However, I do not think he would have mixed the contents of two pods together in a flask. I have had many flasks from him.  He may make more than one flask from a pod but never two pods in a flask.

[Tony Willis]

Maren

I was not suggesting any mix up in the flasking but these things are very promiscuous and if they were open pollinated then there is every chance they are hybrids.

I feel that unless they are propagated by division of plants kept in pots then there is little chance of them being true. In the garden new seedlings appear and old plants die out and therefore over a period who knows what arises