Description
(we formerly offered this as aff. veluchensis, as this stock was not 100% typical for veluchensis. In fact it has now been described as a new species).
A species (this comment referred to C. veluchensis) that we have not always offered regularly as some forms can be unreliable in growth BUT this new stock raised from material first found at 800m in Kosovo is both growable and reliable. Jim and Jenni Archibald first found this growing in leaf-soil, over clay, in dense Fagus woods and it was described by Jim as “a splendid, woodland form with large, lavender-blue flowers shading to darker, violet tips“. There is variation, of course, as there is with any wild species but the well-coloured, violet-purple flowers, lack any trace of yellow in the throat – as is normal for the species. It is a good grower and produced its large and characteristically-coloured flowers freely. Arguably our darkest form, though it varies and at one end of the variation it overlaps in the depth of colour with our Greek stock and not all forms have that darker tip to the outer petals. This is simply natural variation.
C. bertiscensis likes it cool & not too dry. It does well here in a pot but may be just as good, or even better, outside. Moist, humus-rich soil or compost, not drying too much in the summer and not too hot at any time, for best results. This will make its new roots before the old ones die away, so it needs moist (but not wet) compost at all times.
Raised from JJA.354.002 seed and subsequent, re-selected, hand-pollinated seedlings from that stock. This stock has affinities with the newly described bertiscensis and has now been placed it into that taxon).
Research has revealed that the plant that we formerly offered as our “woodland form” also came from this same JJA stock and thus the “woodland form” has been discontinued.
