This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [PRIMROSES] Companion plants - Corydalis

Hubert -

Thank you for your posting replying to my message regarding Corydalis, and
noting the recent book about Corydalis.

I do have this book, and have been aware of the name changes, although at
this time I am not really comfortable in using them. This is a classic
example of the nomenclature problems that we as nursery people face
frequently. I think it will be along time before anyone is familiar with
these new names, (Pseudofumaria -- etc.). I do think however, that we have
a responsiblility to the horticultural/botanical community to make these
names known.  Since you seem to be aware of both ends of this field, can
you tell me - when does a new name become truly accepted?  I have heard of
examples where newly proposed name changes have never been 'accepted' and
so are no longer used, and the old name holds.  Can you tell me what the
European gardening/nursery community is now calling these plants? The North
American Rock Garden Society seed list still calls them Corydalis.

I am interested in the fact that M. linden is making a special study of C.
aqua-gelidae. (C. caeseana v. aquagelidea) I have not known anyone, at
least locally, who has been successful in growing it, although I, in no
way, take that as an indication that it cannot be done. It is quite a rare
plant, not well known, and wild populations are not widely advertised, so
of course seed is seldom to be had. We germinated a seed once, but it did
not survive long without, I assumed, cold water constantly running through
it's roots. The seedlings I have seen in the wild sprout up most commonly
on cold wet mossy rocks, in the shade. Are there people growing it over
there? I have have not seen C. caeseana. It grows east of the Cascade
Mountains, and I don't get over there too often, although I can see
similarities, by what I read.

Thanks for any information. You have encouraged me to get out my Corydalis
book this evening and do some reading this evening.  It is an interesting
and complex plant world, isn't it?


Diana R






At 02:18 PM 12/28/97 +0100, Hubert Agback wrote:
>Diana Reeck, you wrote about Corydalis and mentioned
>C. 'Blue Panda', C. flexuosa 'China Blue', C. elata, C. aquae-gelidae, C.
>ochroleuca, C. lutea.
>
>Earlier Cindy Johnson mentioned also C. sempervirens.
>
>There is a lot of valuable information of these and a number of other
>Corydalis in the recent book by M. Liden and H. Zetterlund: 'Corydalis, a
>gardener's guide and a monograph of the tuberous species', Published by
>Alpine Garden Society (AGS) in 1997. I think it is available also from the
>NARGS bookshop.
>
>M. Liden is probably the No 1 world authority on Corydalis, especially the
>tuberous ones and H. Zetterlund is famous for his growing skills. They are
>responsible for the famous Corydalis collection of the Gothenburg Botanical
>Garden.
>
>In their book they maintain that the clone C. 'Blue Panda' is the form
>coming closest to the type of C.  flexuosa itself.
>
>Both forms of C. flexuosa and the more recently introduced C. elata are
>eminent plants and should be grown as widely as possible.
>
>M. Liden is also responsible to a rather recent raxonomic revision (1986)
>of the subfamily Fumarioideae to which Corydalis belongs. In this process
>the earlier suggested transfer of C. lutea to Pseudofumaria and C.
>sempervirens to C. capnoides has been supported and he also transfer C.
>ochroleuca to Psudofumaria.
>
>Thus C. lutea is now Pseudofumaria lutea, C. ochroleuca is P. alba and C.
>sempervirens  is Capnoides sempervirens.   These namechanges are too new to
>have been well known and used by the horticultural community.
>
>All three species are vigorous and prone to selfseeding if they like the
>conditions, somtimes being quite nasty weeds in the rock gardens. They are
>more suited to the wilder parts of big gardens.
>
>M Liden has made a specific study of C. aquae-gelida and concluded that it
>should be named  C. caseana subsp. aquae-gelida. He hopes that it will take
>kindly to cultivation as it is a very lovely plant, especially the dwarfer
>forms.
>
>
>Hubert
>
>Hubert Agback, Uppsala Sweden. Winter Min Temp -25C, unreliable snowcover.
>
>
Diana Reeck/Bill Janssen
Collector's Nursery
16804 NE 102nd Ave., Battle Ground, WA 98604 USA
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index