Description
(Othocallis)
(syn. paschei of cultivation)
This is a superb, early-flowering but fully cold-hardy species often opening its first flowers in January. Spikes of good sized, pure bright-blue, bell-like flowers which develop a slight reflex to the petals. Each bloom has a tiny purple bract at its base, a fact only noticed when photographs are examined closely. The flowers are borne with green (not glaucous) leaves.
Garden soil in sun or an alpine house pot though it thrives in the open garden here.
First collected, as an unknown species in 1979 in Urfa Province of Turkey and subsequently grown at Gothenburg Botanic Gardens. When it re-flowered it was recognised as something new and provisionally named for the German plantsman Erich Pasche. Gothenburg have confirmed that they received this unnamed from Erich and labelled it provisionally as ‘Scilla from Pasche’. It subsequently mutated to the name “Scilla paschei” and it was distributed by Gothenburg as Scilla paschei. Erich has confirmed he does not know of a Scilla paschei and in fact the plant doing the rounds under that name is a very nice form of Scilla mesopotamica. Our stock is traceable to Gothenburg Botanic Garden in 2001.
