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Watsonia borbonica is a smallish upright plant with pale pink or lilac flowers. The sub-species
ardernei differs in having larger flowers, and the white selection 'Ardernes White' is
comparatively enormous. A very old selection from a wild population, this striking plant is the commonest representative of ssp ardernei in cultivation, though it is not at all typical. Very large flowers, very tall spikes, but rather floppy. In 2004 D. A. Cooke wrote in 'Watsonias for Australian Gardens': "This is the original albino selection of W. borbonica ssp. ardernei and has the cultivar name 'Arderne's White'. Various other albino forms are known." Plantzafrica says: "The subsp. borbonica has stamens that are bent downwards and anthers that lie flat but rise towards the tip, whereas subsp. ardernei has stamens that are bow-shaped to horizontal, and horizontal anthers. W. borbonica subsp. ardernei is named in honour of H.M. Arderne, the Cape Town businessman whose family established the Arderne Gardens in Claremont . This subspecies is best known for its white form that is well-established in cultivation." In the blog adarsajnana, David Cooke says: " H.H. Arderne's discovery of a pure white-flowered, acyanic, clone of Watsonia borbonica was big news in 1888, and soon it was a feature display at Kew Gardens. |
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| 10th July 2005 | ||
