It may be quite easy to distinguish a non-hybridized Spanish bluebell from a non-hybridized English one. It may be harder to identify whether a hybrid is the Spanish or the English species, however. Another factor besides hybridization may make identification difficult. A flowering stem of an English or a Spanish bluebell may have variations from the typical features of its species when it's very young or when it's old.
In these situations, an item in a checklist of identification features may not be accurate. It's no wonder that the generic name "bluebell" is often used for the three forms of the plant discussed in this article.
Most bluebells that I see outside of gardens have cream anthers. Some have blue or green ones, suggesting that they are Spanish bluebells or at least very similar to them. The ones with cream anthers are very likely hybrids instead of English bluebells.
Most lack the arched flower stems of English bluebells or the flowers hanging on one side of the stem. The bells of the mature flowers are often quite short and open, like those of Spanish bluebells, and sometimes face upwards instead of downwards, even in mid life. Though English bluebells have escaped from gardens in southwestern British Columbia, in the Vancouver area the Spanish ones and the hybrids are more likely to do well and spread when they are outside a garden.
English bluebells are more delicate than the sturdy and vigorous Spanish ones. Like Japanese knotweed, bluebells are sometimes considered to be an invasive species where I live. There may be nothing inherently bad about a specific invasive plant. Unfortunately, when it's outside of its native habitat, the plant may grow or spread rapidly and cause environmental or economic problems. There seems to be a continuum of characteristics between an English bluebell and a Spanish one.
Some investigators have raised the problem of classification. Do we say that only a plant with all the characteristics in a checklist should be classified as an English or a Spanish bluebell? What about a plant with only minor differences from those in a checklist?
Should it be given the honour of a distinct common or scientific name or should it be relegated to the hybrid category? What do we do when hybrids cross with other hybrids? Is there a point at which a hybrid should no longer be classified as a bluebell?
Taxonomy biological classification can be an interesting topic and can tell us about evolutionary relationships between organisms. For many of us, however, the most important point about a bluebell is its beauty or in some cases its invasiveness and not its specific name.
Knowing the main differences between the two species may be important when visiting a plant nursery to purchase plants or seeds. Based on what I've read, though, some nurseries don't classify the plants correctly. The Spanish bluebell was imported into Britain in the late seventeenth century as an ornamental plant. Though the plants are the same, the concerns about the English and Spanish bluebells and their hybrids are different in Britain and British Columbia.
In Britain, the fear is that the native bluebell will be wiped out by the Spanish form and by the hybrids produced by crosses between the English and Spanish species. The destruction of ancient forests is also harming the wild plants. One third to a half of the world's English bluebell population is found in Britain.
It's said that no other country has the woodland carpets created by bluebells that are seen in Britain. The species is a protected plant in the UK. It's illegal to dig up a bulb. Losing the fragrance and graceful beauty of English bluebells would be sad. Reduced biodiversity and genetic diversity would also be a problem if the species became extinct or if the entire population became genetically altered due to hybridization. When a species disappears, some of its gene variants may be lost.
These variants may be useful to other organisms, including us. A particular species may produce a chemical that successfully treats a human disease, for example, or that makes a particular nutrient that supports the life of a helpful insect. If the species becomes extinct and the gene variant that codes for the helpful substance is lost, we may never discover or benefit from the substance.
In the Greater Vancouver area, both English and Spanish bluebells are sold in plant nurseries. The most common bluebells growing both inside and outside gardens are the Spanish bluebell and hybrids between the English and Spanish species, however.
The invasiveness of the latter plants annoys some people. The plants multiply quickly and spread. Their leaves flatten and spread out as they mature, sometimes smothering other plants. Some people report that bluebells "take over" a garden, though I do see small and tidy clumps on people's property.
I don't know much work is required to limit their growth. I expect I'll find out. A single uninvited plant is growing in my garden. I'm leaving it alone at the moment and watching how it behaves. It appears to be a hybrid and has a faint but pleasant scent. On the other hand, the District of Saanich on the southern part of Vancouver Island lists both the English and the Spanish bluebell in the Control category of its invasive plants list.
This is the least serious category. Plants in the category are said to have created widespread "infestations", but control is advocated only for conservation areas of high value. Some people say that English bluebells can become invasive in the Greater Vancouver area. I wonder how many of these observations are due to mistaken identity, however. I've seen reports about problematic English bluebells illustrated with photos of Spanish ones or of hybrids that resemble them.
Although bluebells may cause problems, I love to observe their flowers. I look forward to seeing them each year. I have noticed that the patches in my favourite viewing areas are getting bigger each year, however, and that new clumps and patches are appearing beside a nearby walking trail.
This plant in the borage family Boraginaceae is hardy in zones It is considered threatened in its native range, primarily because of habitat destruction and the prevention of natural flooding of rivers, and is increasingly found only in isolated locations. This ephemeral perennial plant comes up early in the spring. The emerging foliage is deep purple but quickly turns green. Plants have smooth, oval, blue- to gray-green leaves with prominent veins.
The alternate leaves are petiolate at the bottom of the stem but change to sessile at the top. The leaves may be from inches long, with the longer leaves at the base of the plant. The smooth stems are almost succulent but nearly hollow so plants are fragile and will break readily. The occasionally branched stems are mostly green but may be tinged a purple color, especially at the base.
The erect clumps grow up to 2 feet tall and about a foot wide but die back to the ground by early summer as the plant goes dormant shortly after flowering and setting seed. Many novice gardeners mistakenly think their plants have died, only to be surprised the following year when the bluebells emerge in early spring more vigorous than before.
Virginia bluebells bloom in mid-spring typically from mid-April through mid-May in Wisconsin. Loose clusters of flowers cymes are borne at the ends of coiled or arched stems. They do not make a very good cut flower. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.
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In my opinion, it is one of the aristocrats among native wildflowers and gives a crowd pleasing show when planted with Stylophorum diphyllum and Trillium grandiflorum. Yes, the foliage can look yellow and unattractive while going dormant for the season, but it is not a prolonged, agonizing, slimy death like the Spanish bluebells.
In fact, I find the foliage "melts away" with rain. Nope, your clump will not move around or even grow massively That is what I mean by aggressive - they just refuse to fade away but return again I am just very surprised by the descriptions of aggressiveness, and don't understand as, like I said, my Spanish bluebells have not budged an inch in five years or more. The clumps have not even really gotten much bigger in that time.
I am truly overly-worried about planting anything aggressive. I have been fighting things such as poison ivy, garlic mustard, sheep's sorrel, sassafras, wild raspberry, bittersweet, virginia creeper, and wild rose in my yard for over 15 years I'm not even counting the stuff in the lawn that I DON'T bother to battle - violets, wild strawberry, Canadian mayapple, wild plantain, haircap moss, bluets, not to mention the always popular dandelions!
Even the native goldenrod, which I absolutely love, pops up where it's really not convenient and I spend lots of time digging and moving it.
I therefore would never knowingly plant anything remotely aggressive. So now I'm a bit concerned about the Spanish bluebells. But - and again, not trying to argue - but wouldn't your description - "your clump will not move around or even grow massively Hiacynthoides hispanica is not on my list of non-native plants that I worry about being invasive or even aggressive. Although there are plenty of others I'm battling, mostly woody plants.
Here's one of my fave pics of H. One of the M. Oh Digger - I am not wanting to be contentious either but, I have already explained that spanish bluebells come with unwelcome baggage in the UK - a bit like the grey squirrel thugging out our nervous little native red squirrel And, probably invasive is the wrong term but, if you did change your mind and try to remove the spanish interlopers, that's when the problems start.
As for coming back forever, well OK if you love the plant Campanula, do you have any photos of your English bluebells? You got me wondering about them, and a google search gave me several articles bemoaning, as you mentioned, the crossing with the Spanish ones but the photos are all different as the photos of anything one searches on google always seem to be!
But the funny thing is, I have one little plant out on my slope by the street, which I never planted, and which appeared about three years ago. I thought at first it was a Spanish bluebell, but it's not. Then I thought it was one of the minor bulbs I plant scilla, etc. Now, in looking at the images for English bluebells, some of the images look just like the plant out on my slope! I have no idea where an English bluebell would have come from to plant itself in my front yard, but now I'm curious.
I haven't seen this little plant yet, so I am going to see if its out there. I have Virginia Bluebells in my wooded yard that I purchased less than two years ago. There is one plant in the front bed by the entry to the house, and more plants growing wild out back in my unkempt wood.
Here in Michigan I believe Virginia Bluebells are a protected wildflower that is not supposed to be picked or moved. I know my mother has had one in the back of her property that we've watched for every spring for plus years. That one plant has returned each spring, but has not spread or multiplied. I feel quite lucky to have so many of them on my property. I may try to collect a few seeds and see if I can't get a few more to grow in the front of my yard.
Good luck in your choices. This one was taken in my wood. Sorry it's poor quality. The photo is a few years old. Our woods are filled with Virginia Bluebells right now and in waves they are just breath-taking.
They are blooming along with the Dutchman's Britches and Buttercups. Quite a show. I checked and the mystery bluebell is indeed out on the slope by the street. I will see if I can get a photo tomorrow - I'm sitting here with two broken cameras!
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