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A sensational red flowered form introduced from Nepal in 1992. There are both red stemmed and green stemmed forms in circulation. The red stemmed form was introduced under number
BBMS 45. Jill Cowley says: "The exciting new red-coloured form of Roscoea purpurea was exhibited by Kew at one of the Royal Horticultural Shows at Vinent Square on 16 August 1994, and awarded a Preliminary Commendation. It was collected several times from the same place, and BBMS.43 was chosen as the type collection for the cultivar name 'Red Gurkha'. According to the rules, the only collection which can be called by that name is the collection chosen at the time of publication. All collections of red forms are described below as R. purpurea forma rubra. The red form of R. purpurea was found in the valley of the Buri Gandaki, a vigorous river that divides the two ranges of the Gorka Himal and the Ganesh Himal. It is known from a single locality at an approximate altitude of 1900m, the plants were scattered amongst open scrub and on steep terrace walls at the edge of a village. Such disturbed and open habitats are favoured by the species of Roscoea that were encountered during the expedition. However, no other forms of R. purpurea occur in the immediate vicinity of R. purpurea forma rubra, and the uniformity of flower colour suggest that the form would come true from seed. The plants included ones with leaf sheaths suffused with red, and forms without the red suffusion." In recent years the collection BBMS.45 (also with red leaf sheaths) has come to be called 'Red Gurkha', a matter of detail that may one day be resolved. In recent years it has become clear that these red flowered forms come reliably (and abundantly) true from seed, and it may be that (under the provisions of the cultivated code) all red flowered, red stemmed plants that are in essence indistinguishable from the original collection, should be called 'Red Gurkha'. The RHS conducted a trial of Roscoea between 2008 and 2011. At the end of the trial R. purpurea f. rubra was granted an Award of Merit. Richard Wilford reported from the trial in 'The Plantsman'. He said: "This is the only red-flowered Roscoea, first collected in Nepal in 1992 (Cowley & Baker 1994). There is variation in the colour of the leaf sheaths, with some plants having red staining on the leaf sheaths and others with green leaf sheaths. All are attractive and striking plants. The cultivar name 'Red Gurkha' has been applied to plants of f. rubra in cultivation. However, due to the variation in leaf sheath colouration, the RHS Advisory Committee on Nomenclature and Taxonomy is of the opinion that the cultivar name should be treated as a synonym of f. rubra, the name to which the AGM has been awarded. The flowers are red-orange (N35A) with a paler (N34C) labellum, and the floral bracts are red, edged green. The vertically ridged and wrinkly leaves are mid green (137B) with grey-red (180A) or pale green sheaths" I'm not going to start. Jill cowley makes it clear (after some confusion following the introduction in 1992) that the cultivar name 'Red Gurkha' applies to a form with red leaf sheaths. The AGM has been awarded to R. purpurea f. rubra which may have red or green leaf sheaths. |
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| 31st August 2006 | ||
