On Tue, 06 May 2003 20:09:30 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Tue, 06 May 2003 03:21:59 +0100, Hussein M. wrote:

I will have to phone my friend so he can drive me to the famous
local bluebell woods where I know they are non-scripta.

Dig about on the net to find definative(*) ways of telling the
difference, flower colour alone is not good enough. I have vague
memories of the way the individual flower bells are arranged on the
stem is the best method, one has them arranged all round the other
tends to have them on one side. I *think* the English is all round but
with the hybrids about gawd alone knows what happens. Combined with
the pollen colour previously discussed and you can have a high
confidence level on your identification.

(*) If you can ever get a "definative" answer from the net. B-)

Hi,

I have done a search and went out last night at an unearthly hour to
snip some blooms to compare them with the detailed pics of hispanica
and non-scripta at this site:
Plantas Sylvestres de Espana (Wild flowers of Spain)
http://www.hoseito.com/FLORES%20SILV...on-scripta.htm
http://www.hoseito.com/FLORES%20SILV...0hispanica.htm

There wasn't much difference in either of the plants these guys
photographed and mine could have been either.

Problem is, the pics of non-scripta at the Spanish site don't look
and earthly like the pics of non-scripta to be found elsewhe

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P146932.HTM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest...ten/wallpaper/
http://www.apl-385.demon.co.uk/rnhs/detail1.htm

http://www.unigarden.com/egroepen/en...onscripta.html
give the following description of non-scripta:
Western Europe, both naturalised and indigenous.
Syn. Endymion nutans, Scilla nutans, Scilla non-scripta
non-scriptus = not striped
nutans = nodding
The bluebell scarcely appears as a pure species. In most areas we can
mainly find hybrid groups of Hyacinthoides non-scripta and H.
hispanica. These hybrids have wider leaves and inflorescences which
barely nod. The original species is hardly ever planted in gardens and
parks but varieties from crossbreeding are (see Hyacinthoides
hispanica).

I find the naming of the synonyms interesting.
I don't know quite how erect and striped Scillas are, but the plants I
got from Florajacs and the flowers portrayed on the Spanish site,
apart form having a mauvey tinge which is absent from the plants
pictured on bioimages, BBC etc. which are a deep velvety blue, also
have an unmistakable darker streak running down the petals and do not
have the drooping posture exhibited by the 'proper' pictures of
non-scripta.

Also interesting is the fact that The Plants of Gledhow Valley
http://www.fgvw.co.uk/html/florafauna/plantlist1.htm
list amongst their species:
Bluebell (cross native/spanish)
Bluebell (native)

It appears that hispanica hybridises with non-scripta so easily and
is so much more adaptable that, as the man said, the original
non-scripta hardly exists outside its wild niche unless propagated
vegetatively. It seems even plantsmen and nurseries are now, in good,
faith passing hybrids as non-scripta.

Prices should tell something.

How come The Herb Garden & Historical Plants Nursery - herbs, wild
flowers & native species
http://www.historicalplants.co.uk/section1.html

- who purport to be as fastidious as they are able in supplying the
correct plant, offer mail order H. non-scripta at 1.50 a throw but
Florajacs can toss'em out at 12 squid per hundred i.e. 12 pence each?


Hussein
Grow a little garden

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