'Lilium primulinum var. burmanicum'
(Dark Form)
(Species / Wild Lily)
From Tibet, and Myanmar with its range extending into the NW portions of Yunnan, the pendant, primrose yellow flowers of this rare beauty are richly colored in a royal purple. This example of var. burmanicum's dark form was taken by Mr. Melvyn Herbert of the United Kindgom. Melvyn has been very helpful in identifying this group of lilies which he says "the taxonomy of this group is in serious need of revision".
Title photo Photo copyright Melvyn Herbert, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Photo inserts #1 and #2 provided by Pontus Wallstén of Switzerland. Photo copyright Pontus Wallstén of Switzerland. Used with permission.
There is still much confusion within this species as Melvyn mentioned. When questioned concerning the 'Dark Form' vs. 'Rocks Form' submitted in our photo inserts, Pontus replied with, "The small flowered one that Mel sent I think could be a small flowered form of rocks var. There was mention in a very old book from the 1930's that Rocks Variety had a small flower... (as shown with a fly in comparison for size of example labeled as 'Rocks' on this site) but apart from Mels plant that would fit that 1930's description, no small flowered plants have been widely grown, sold, or ever seen to my knowledge in gardens since the 1930's."
Pontus went on to say, "If someone is looking to buy Rocks Variety nowadays and googled it, they will find it in nurseries (with luck) labelled as the form with pink petals and purple center. In my next book, I will go with that description as its the one most commonly used. But there is a lot of discussion about primulinum nowadays and exact id of all these forms...Some change names, then become subspecies, then they become varieties, then a species of their own, and then a variety again... all very confusing"
This page is for reference only, not as an offer to sell species bulbs or seeds.
From Tibet, and Myanmar with its range extending into the NW portions of Yunnan, the pendant, primrose yellow flowers of this rare beauty are richly colored in a royal purple. This example of var. burmanicum's dark form was taken by Mr. Melvyn Herbert of the United Kindgom. Melvyn has been very helpful in identifying this group of lilies which he says "the taxonomy of this group is in serious need of revision".
Title photo Photo copyright Melvyn Herbert, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Photo inserts #1 and #2 provided by Pontus Wallstén of Switzerland. Photo copyright Pontus Wallstén of Switzerland. Used with permission.
There is still much confusion within this species as Melvyn mentioned. When questioned concerning the 'Dark Form' vs. 'Rocks Form' submitted in our photo inserts, Pontus replied with, "The small flowered one that Mel sent I think could be a small flowered form of rocks var. There was mention in a very old book from the 1930's that Rocks Variety had a small flower... (as shown with a fly in comparison for size of example labeled as 'Rocks' on this site) but apart from Mels plant that would fit that 1930's description, no small flowered plants have been widely grown, sold, or ever seen to my knowledge in gardens since the 1930's."
Pontus went on to say, "If someone is looking to buy Rocks Variety nowadays and googled it, they will find it in nurseries (with luck) labelled as the form with pink petals and purple center. In my next book, I will go with that description as its the one most commonly used. But there is a lot of discussion about primulinum nowadays and exact id of all these forms...Some change names, then become subspecies, then they become varieties, then a species of their own, and then a variety again... all very confusing"
This page is for reference only, not as an offer to sell species bulbs or seeds.
