James Allen (nurseryman)

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James Allen (1830 – 1906), known as the "Snowdrop King," [1] was a nurseryman and galanthophile of Shepton Mallet, Somerset, United Kingdom, known principally for his hybridizations of snowdrops and anemones. He is credited with the discovery of Galanthus ×allenii (1883). [2]

A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector of snowdrops.

Shepton Mallet small town in Somerset, England

Shepton Mallet is a town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, South West England, about 18 miles (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wells. The town has an estimated population of 10,369. It houses the headquarters of Mendip District Council. The Mendip Hills lie to the north. The River Sheppey runs through the town, as does the route of the Fosse Way, the main Roman road into south-west England. There is evidence of Roman settlement. It contains a medieval parish church and many other listed buildings. Shepton Mallet Prison was England's oldest until its closure in March 2013. The wool trade, important in the medieval economy, was replaced by industries such as brewing in the 18th century. The town remains a prominent producer of cider. Shepton Mallet is the closest town to the Glastonbury Festival. Also nearby is the Royal Bath and West of England Society show ground.

Somerset County of England

Somerset is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.

Allen spotted Galanthus ×allenii amongst a batch of bulbs that had been imported from the Caucasus. Originally classed as a species, this strongly scented snowdrop is now thought to be a hybrid. It is described as being "intermediate in appearance between G. caucasicus [ now G. elwesii var. monostictus ] and G. ikariae ", and may be a natural hybrid between those species.

Caucasus region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Iran, on the southwest by Turkey, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, and on the north by Russia

The Caucasus or Caucasia is an area situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and occupied by Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It is home to the Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus mountain range, which has historically been considered a natural barrier between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

<i>Galanthus elwesii</i> species of plant

Galanthus elwesii is one of a number of species of the genus Galanthus, herbaceous, perennial, bulbous plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae. It is a native of the Caucasus.

Hybrid (biology) offspring of cross-species reproduction

In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents, but can show hybrid vigour, sometimes growing larger or taller than either parent. The concept of a hybrid is interpreted differently in animal and plant breeding, where there is interest in the individual parentage. In genetics, attention is focused on the numbers of chromosomes. In taxonomy, a key question is how closely related the parent species are.

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<i>Leucojum</i> genus of plants

Leucojum is a small genus of bulbous plants native to Eurasia belonging to the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. As currently circumscribed, the genus includes only two known species, most former species having been moved into the genus Acis. Both genera are known as snowflakes.

<i>Anemone nemorosa</i> species of plant

Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed, and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing 5–15 centimetres (2–6 in) tall.

Henry John Elwes English botanist, entomologist, author, lepidopterist, collector and traveller

Henry John Elwes, FRS was a British botanist, entomologist, author, lepidopterist, collector and traveller who became renowned for collecting specimens of lilies during trips to the Himalaya and Korea. He was one of the first group of 60 people to receive the Victoria Medal of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1897. Author of Monograph of the Genus Lilium (1880), and The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland (1906–1913) with Augustine Henry, as well as numerous articles, he left a collection of 30,000 butterfly specimens to the Natural History Museum, including 11,370 specimens of Palaearctic butterflies.

<i>Galanthus nivalis</i> species of plant

Galanthus nivalis, the snowdrop or common snowdrop, is the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in its genus, Galanthus. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas where they are native or have been naturalised. They should not be confused with the snowflakes, in the genera Leucojum and Acis.

<i>Narcissus pseudonarcissus</i> species of perennial flowering plant

Narcissus pseudonarcissus is a perennial flowering plant.

Edward Augustus Bowles British horticulturist

Edward Augustus Bowles, VMH, known professionally as E. A. Bowles, was a British horticulturalist, plantsman and garden writer. He developed an important garden at Myddelton House, his lifelong home at Bulls Cross in Enfield, Middlesex and his name has been preserved in many varieties of plant.

Ornamental bulbous plant

Ornamental bulbous plants, often called ornamental bulbs or just bulbs in gardening and horticulture, are herbaceous perennials grown for ornamental purposes, which have underground or near ground storage organs. Botanists distinguish between true bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers and tuberous roots, any of which may be termed "bulbs" in horticulture. Bulb species usually lose their upper parts during adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat or winter cold. The bulb's storage organs contain moisture and nutrients that are used to survive these adverse conditions in a dormant state. When conditions become favourable the reserves sustain a new growth cycle. In addition, bulbs permit vegetative or asexual multiplication in these species. Ornamental bulbs are used in parks and gardens and as cut flowers.

<i>Acis</i> (plant) genus of plants

Acis is a genus of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants in the amaryllis family. The genus consists of nine species distributed in Europe and Northern Africa. Acis was previously included in Leucojum; both genera are known as snowflakes.

× Chionoscilla is the genus name used for hybrids between the two closely related genera Chionodoxa and Scilla.

<i>Psilocybe allenii</i> species of fungus

Psilocybe allenii is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. Described as new to science in 2012, it is named after John W. Allen, who provided the type collection. It is found in the northwestern North America from Los Angeles, California to British Columbia, Canada, most commonly within 10 miles (16 km) of the Pacific coast.

<i>Galanthus woronowii</i> species of plant

Galanthus woronowii, the green snowdrop or Woronow's snowdrop, is a bulbous plant native to north-east Turkey and the west and central Caucasus. In cultivation particularly, it has often been confused with two other species with broad green leaves and a single green mark on the inner tepals: Galanthus ikariae and Galanthus platyphyllus.

<i>Iris subg. Xiphium</i> subgenus of plants

Subgenus Xiphium is a subgenus of Iris. If considered a separate genus from Iris, it is known as genus Xiphion.

Sir Frederick Claude Stern was a botanist and horticulturalist, known for developing the gardens at Highdown, for creating several cultivars of garden plants and for his publications on peonies, snowdrops and gardening. He also tried to promote the interests of the Jewish community.

<i>Galanthus reginae-olgae</i> species of plant

Galanthus reginae-olgae is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Sicily and the west and north-west Balkans. Some variants produce their pendant white flowers in autumn, others in winter and early spring. It is cultivated as ornamental bulbous plant, preferring warmer situations in the garden than other species of Galanthus (snowdrops).

<i>Galanthus plicatus</i> species of plant

Galanthus plicatus is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native from Romania, Ukraine and Crimea in eastern Europe to north Turkey and the north-west Caucasus in Asia.

Margaret Owen (plantswoman) English farmer and gardener (1930–2014)

Margaret McAllister Owen was a British farmer, gardener and heritage activist.

References

  1. ↑ Cox, Freda (2013). Gardener's Guide to Snowdrops. Crowood. p. 288. ISBN   9781847975621 . Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Garden". Journal of Horticulture and Practical Gardening: 213. March 1891.
Further sources
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