Re: Pacific Horticulture & Mexican Mountain Daisies

>

  Tim Longville wrote:

>  giant daisies from the
> high-elevation cloud-forests of the Mexican uplands. These are
> creatures with names such as (for those who haven't seen the article)
> Senecio uspantanensis, S. cristobalensis, Montana hexagona, M.
> leucantha, Stevia microchaeta, Bartlettia tuerckheimii and (my
> personal love-of-the-moment, from the sensational photograph) B.
> sordida (pity about the name but you can't have it all! huge, felted,
> satiny, red-veined leaves, dense heads of ray-floret-less purple
> flowers, like giant powder-puffs, on plants up to 8ft tall:

> The article seemed to suggest that these were all still the
> preserve of a few Calif. and Mex. botanic gardens. True? Or does
> anyone know of private gardeners already growing them? Has anyone on
> the list actually seen any of them, even? And if so, what are their
> impressiions? Shoud I book my ticket for Mexico now or just go and
> take a cold shower?



If you book your passage to Mexico, be sure to make provision for good
quantity of ammunition.  These were all collected in the mountains of
Chiappas  -  not a very safe place for traveling these days.  Thanks that
collecting was done some time ago.  As for England, I imagine seed will
transport well.
Well, Strybing has been propagating and selling a few - and some of us in
the Bay area are growing them.  Sencecio cristobalensis did not survive
the 28 degree F frost here.  Senecio (Rolanda now apparently) petasites is

doing quite well (incidentally, it is the only one in Strybing's gardens
that I have seen seeding itself around)   The others don't seem to spread
at all by seed here.  Could be because they drop their seed in midwinter
here - cold and wet, and it's too cold for germination.  Also have a
Bartletina sordida, which is slow to take off, but for which I have great
hopes. Both it and the S.petasites have delightfully furry leaves.
Montanoa arborescens also survived the freeze well, and has nice 1"
fragrant white flowers, with numerous stalks from the base.

Richard, Berkeley, CA
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