LILIES - RHS Lily Group
LILIES - RHS Lily Group
LILIES - RHS Lily Group
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Left, Erythronium multiscapoideum forms large colonies by producing stolons, here<br />
in Magalia, Butte Co., California and has a ‘many-scaped’ appearance (inset).<br />
Above left, E. oreganum is slow to increase vegetatively but is probably the finest<br />
of the white-flowered species, here in Douglas Co., Oregon; above right, E. helenae<br />
– the large yellow zone in the centre of the flowers, the yellow anthers and slender<br />
filaments help to distinguish this from other white-flowered species.<br />
the UK, requiring the generally cooler conditions to be found in the north. These<br />
two factors – aesthetics and ease of cultivation – are important in the overall<br />
assessment for an AGM. So, even before the trial it was predictable which ones<br />
might be eligible.<br />
Western North-American species<br />
One of course stands out and that is the clone of E. californicum known as ‘White<br />
Beauty’. This is undoubtedly beautiful, grows with enthusiasm given slight shade<br />
and a deep, humus-enriched soil and, very importantly, increases vegetatively at a<br />
reasonable pace by producing offsets. It is this last characteristic that perhaps calls<br />
into question its attribution to E. californicum as plants grown from wild collected<br />
seeds of this species do not appear to have the same useful character. However, in<br />
all other respects it seems to be well within the range of morphological variation<br />
of this Californian species. It was Carl Purdy who gave one of his selections the<br />
name but whether the clone widely cultivated today is the same as his original<br />
is hard to say. Coloured illustrations from his catalogues of the early twentieth<br />
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