Poeticus

Hello all,

A late season observation. I have only one clump of ‘Cantabile’ Guy L. Wilson, 1932 growing here, it has three flower stems – two flowers have unequal pollen anthers and the other one has subequal pollen anthers. These three flowers are from a double nose bulb planted three years ago and would tend to suggest that the genes that carry the pollen anther formation is somehow not very stable in this cultivar.

The other interesting observation in the poeticus flowering at present is ‘Sea Green’ G.H. Engleheart, 1930 and ‘Patois’ Brian S. Duncan, 1992. These two varieties are so similar flowering with me that they would almost defy being separated. ‘Sea Green’ tends to have subequal anthers while ‘Patois’ appears to have unequal pollen anthers. This is about the only way I can separate the two cultivars as they grow here. The interesting point is that these two very good poeticus were registered 62 years apart.

Our recently registered poeticus ‘Cronkite’ named after that great American News Correspondent Walter Cronkite (after his death) is possibly the best formed red rimmed cultivar seen here. Like practically all poeticus here, this cultivar is late flowering. The only time I have had it flower early enough to be exhibited at a New Zealand Show it easily gained the Premier award for the best poeticus in the show.

Cheers,
John

John A. Hunter
195 Patons Road
R.D.1 Richmond
Nelson
New Zealand
Phone 64 3 544 0011
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