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Saracenia "schnells ghost"

  • #21
To the best of my (limited) knowlegde "alba" refers to the true antho-free leuco form from Baldwin Co. Or maybe that one is called "green". I'll have to check my growlist
 
  • #22
Please do. I have been told it refers to the Citronelle yellow flowered leucs. We could use some clarificatio for sure. Thanks, Pyro!!
 
  • #23
Well I checked my growlist and sure enough it says "green" for the antho-free plant. So I guess that solves that.

But since we are here and talking about the Citronelle yellow flowered leucos, anyone have a spare they might be willing to trade come spring? I am sure I will have some stuff available then
 
  • #24
Here is the 'article' Bugweed referred to which is the cultivar description for 'Schnell's Ghost' copied from the ICPS cultivar list. Perhaps, this will offer some clarification.

Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Schnell's Ghost’
Submitted February 4, 2000

One of the peculiarities found in many of the red-flowered species of Sarracenia are the so-called aberrant colour forms. In addition to the range of pink and red colours found in many individuals of these species, plants are occasionally discovered which have pure yellow flowers. The genetics governing this effect are well documented (Sheridan & Scholl, 1996; Sheridan, 1997) and are known to affect red colour production in either the flower or the entire plant.

Of particular merit is the yellow-flowered clone of Sarracenia leucophylla. This plant has, in addition to the pure yellow flower, a complete absence of red colouring in the upper-pitcher tube and lid. The almost pure white lid is innervated with narrow green veins; the white colour includes the inner lid-surface and column, and extends to the upper section of the pitcher tube. The only red colour in the plant is found in the growing points of emerging pitchers and in aging pitchers as they start to senesce. Because of this, the plant cannot be described as an anthocyanin-free plant (or green mutant, as erroneously reported by D’Amato (1998, page 82).

The yellow-flowered Sarracenia leucophylla was originally collected by Donald Schnell during the summer of 1972. At the time of this collection the plant was not in flower; presumably the intense white colouration of the plant’s leaves attracted his attention. Schnell sent a piece of the plant to Steven Clemesha in Australia, who adjusted its growth habit to southern hemisphere seasons, and grew the plant to maturity. It was not until the plant flowered in September 1974 that Clemesha discovered that the plant also produced a pure yellow flower (Clemesha, 1999, personal communication).

Some years later Martin Cheek obtained plants from Clemesha, propagated them, and offered specimens for sale with the unregistered name of “Schnell’s Ghost”. At the time Martin produced a catalogue of plants which contained a full description of the cultivar (Cheek, 1990, page 2).

Although references to this plant’s “very pale ghost-like qualities” were made in private correspondence as early as 1972 (Clemesha, 1999, personal communication), the first printed reference to its “ghost-like” qualities was in Schnell (1989):

“The pitcher top is so pale and the lack of red venation gives the plant an almost ghost-like appearance and it stands out readily in a stand of typical plants, even when not in yellow flower. This plant bore a yellow flower the following spring in cultivation….”

In the early 1990s Alan Hindle, a grower and collector of Sarracenia forms in the UK, began selling a yellow-flowered S. leucophylla. Alan Hindle received his original stock from Bruce Bednar in the USA, so this plant subsequently became known among UK growers as the “Bednar clone”. Bednar reported that he obtained his plant from Clemesha in Australia, so the “Bednar clone” is the same plant as the “Schnell’s Ghost” plant (Bednar, 1999, personal communication). Other unestablished names that have been used to label this S. leucophylla plant include “Alba” and “Yellow Flower”.
Several other distinct clones of the species with yellow flowers have subsequently been found. For instance, there is at least one clone from the Citronelle region in southern Alabama. The plants are again characterised by having predominantly white colouration in the lid and upper pitcher, and a yellow flower. I am registering the cultivar name Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Schnell’s Ghost’, which should be applied to all clones of the species with yellow flowers and predominantly white coloured lids and upper pitchers. Since seed from self-pollinated individuals of this clone breed true (and presumably between different clones of this cultivar), Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ may be propagated both asexually from cuttings and sexually from seed, as long as the cultivar characters are maintained.

As mentioned above, Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ does have some red pigmentation in the growing points. In contrast, collections of Sarracenia leucophylla plants completely lacking anthocyanin have been reported (Sheridan & Scholl, 1996). The cultivar description of Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ does not include these plants. I am happy to report that, despite fears that Sarracenia ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ had become extinct (Rice, 2000), it is quite alive both in England and in the USA.


PHIL WILSON
 
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