The size of P.lusitanica

From: Loyd Wix (Loyd.Wix@unilever.com)
Date: Thu Feb 04 1999 - 04:57:13 PST 

Date: 04 Feb 1999 12:57:13 Z
From: Loyd Wix <Loyd.Wix@unilever.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg318$foo@default>
Subject: The size of P.lusitanica

          
          Dear All,
          
          still trying to catch up with this years digest - I did not
          have the opportunity to comment on P.lusitanica from a week
          or so ago so here goes:
          
          
>>One of the things that's bothering me is that the plants
>>are maybe 1 cm in
          
>1 cm diameter is about the right size.
          
          Actually if you read the literature this is very small! Both
          Casper in his Monograph and Webb in his Irish Flora quote
          4cms in diameter. The largest plants I have seen in habitat
          reached 5cm (Slieve Mish Mountains Co Kerry Republic of
          Ireland) although 4cm would be a reasonable average size for
          mature (flowering) plants at these locations. I sent seed
          collected from these Irish sites to the UKCPS seed bank,
          Allen Lowrie and a few chums. Many of the plants that I have
          germinated from this seed are already 1cm in diameter.
          
          After seeing these large Irish plants I changed the
          conditions I was growing my English (Hampshire) plants. By
          increasing the humidity these are now 2cm in diameter. The
          next thing to try is that the Irish plants were growing in
          relatively mineral rich mountain side seaps and not typical
          bog conditions. Thus increasing the mineral content of the
          compost or the application of a folia feed may be
          advantageous.
          
          Regards
          
          Loyd

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