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Roscoea purpurea 'Wisley Amethyst' has splendidly striped flowers which make it very distinctive. They stand out well against the fresh green foliage. This form was given an Award of Merit by the RHS in 1946. Originally collected by Frank Kingdon Ward in Assam in 1938, and introduced as "R. procera" under the number KW.13755. Jill Cowley included this collection in Roscoea purpurea and says: "The plant which later came into cultivation and which was called 'procera' was a Kingdon Ward collection from Assam, but the same form can be found in Bhutan. Kingdon Ward's field notes on his collection no. 13755 state: 'KW 13755 Roscoea purpurea? Height 4-6". The leafy stem bears a succession of large yawning flowers, white splashed purple on the lower lip. Forms large colonies on steep rocky pine covered slopes high above Dirang Dzong. 7000-8000ft.'. July 1938'. Strangely the specimen of this number at the Natural History Museum bears slightly different field notes: 'Assam, Orka La, 8000-9000ft', June 1938, Kingdon Ward 13755'. Whatever the correct collecting data may be, the subsequent history of Kingdon Ward's plant is recorded in 1948 in the Gardener's Chronicle. F. C. Wood of Worthing wrote that "This species, if species it can be called - was sent home under the number KW 13755. Plants raised by Colonel (F. C.) Stern (OBE, MC), at Highdown flowered well and the new introduction was granted an A.M. (Award of Merit) on July 2 1946. There is apparently some doubt in the mind of botanists as to whether R. procera merits specific rank or whether it should be regarded as a variety of R. purpurea." In her monograph, Jill Cowley favoured the latter option and described it as Roscoea purpurea forma alba, saying: (Differs from the typical form (forma purpurea in having flowers which are white with a labellum splashed deep purple rather than wholly pale purple or reddish." Gary Dunlop says: "It received an AM (Award of Merit) from the RHS, albeit under the name R. procera, when exhibited by Col. Stern in 1946. There was clearly some dissent over the identification of the plant, as the AM description concluded by noting that the plant was similar to the illustration of R. purpurea, Tab.61 in the Botanical Register. The author, F. C. Wood, fortuitously mentioned that the plant exhibited was raised from KW.13755 seed, and implicitly confirmed the disagreement amongst the judges. It would seem that this plant had been grown at Wisley, but had died out and faded from memory, as it was apparently a surprise discovery when a seedling germinated in the late 1990s and was named R. purpurea 'Wisley Amethyst'. Seedlings under this cultivar name are now becoming available having been bulked up for the RHS by Trevor Nunn." Richard Wilford wrote in his trial report: "This is an unusual and early cultivar with white flowers streaked with purple that open in late June and July. It did not do well in the trial, the flowers opening before they had fully emerged from the green leaf sheaths, but specimens grown elsewhere at Wisley, in more shade, looked much better." |
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