From the old house [Filling a hole with a story]

Funny story on this one, which I'm posting 6½ months after it was taken, and posting for a date a month after it was taken. But I have learned what cultivar this is and I may not see the plant again as it’s in the neighborhood of our older kids’ previous home.

So I sent this photo, with another that I’ll post soon, to my friend the plant systematics expert. I said, “Attached are two photos from my older daughter’s ‘new, 60-year old’ home in Burlington, Massachusetts. … I think the two photos are the same plant, but I can’t promise. (Epic fail on record-keeping.) The flower is from July; the infructescence is from October. (I’m doubting this plant is about to flower in Massachusetts in October.) My guess is something in Liliaceae, but probably a human-engineered variation planted by the previous owner.”

Not the same plant.
Not even the same house.
But this is what happens to memory when, in addition, one is posting six months hence.

So this is Lilium 'Stargazer'. The plant that was fruiting at the new house, in October, was Canna indica. So not only were the two photos not of the same plant, but they were not of the same genus. Even worse, they’re not in the same plant family. Oftentimes I look like a complete fool to my friend — sigh.

From the Wikipedia page, “Lilium 'Stargazer' (the 'Stargazer lily') is a hybrid lily of the 'Oriental group'. Oriental lilies are known for their fragrant perfume, blooming mid-to-late summer. Stargazers are easy to grow and do best in full sunlight. They have a fast growth rate and should be planted in full sun in well-drained loamy or sandy soil. When mature, 'Stargazers' can grow to a height of 36 inches with a spread of 10 to 14 inches with 2 to 8 flowers per stem.

“Stargazer lilies are often incorrectly called ‘Rubrum’ lilies. Rubrums were a predecessor commercial lily to the 'Stargazers' whose flowers pointed down to the ground. As such, consumers and other end users thought the Rubrums’ downward-facing flowers looked wilted. The 'Stargazer' lily was created in 1974 by Leslie Woodriff, a lily breeder in California, to overcome this downward look. Woodriff called the new cross 'Stargazer', because the blooms faced towards the sky.”

Lilium 'Stargazer' info at:
» NC State Cooperative Extension Service
» Wikipedia
» Gardenia.net
» PhytoImages.siu.edu not a secure “https” page

Looking back
1 year ago: “Pandemic Puzzle #14 [Filler]”
2 years ago: No post
3 years ago: No post
4 years ago: “Pipevine Swallowtail”
5 years ago: “'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple”
6 years ago: “Indiana State Capitol”
7 years ago: “First day of classes + first Pondhawk this year”
8 years ago: “Noble sculling”
9 years ago: “Great-great-great grandparents’ graves”
10 years ago: “Somewhere…”

[ PXL_20210716_205502916S75x75Otm :: cell phone ]

18th August 2021 18th Aug 21