Articles
The behavior of great camas (Camassia leichtlinii (Baker) S. Watson) in different culture systems
Article number
1417_8
Pages
63 – 72
Language
English
Abstract
Camassia leichtlinii (Baker) S. Watson, known as the great camas or large camas, is a geophyte plant native to North America valued both for its nutritional properties (the bulbs being used in food by ancient indigenous tribes over 7000 years ago), as well as for the ornamental qualities due to the particularly beautiful inflorescences that appear in spring.
The plant was brought to Europe approximately 100 years ago and although it has a good ability to adapt to temperate-continental climate conditions, it is less known in Romania.
Therefore, the present work aimed to analyze the behavior of two cultivars of C. leichtlinii (‘Caerulea’ with blue flowers and ‘Alba’ with white flowers) grown in the field and in pots, in the conditions of northeastern Romania (the Iasi city), to evaluate their decorative characteristics and make recommendations on how to use them.
The observations and determinations were made during the years 2022-2023. C. leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ stood out for taller flower stems (67-73 cm) and longer inflorescences (30-34 cm). Regarding the culture system, for most of the characters analyzed, C. leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ recorded the best results in field conditions; C. leichtlinii ‘Alba’ behaves better grown in pots than in the field, by the height of flower stems (52.3 vs. 44.3 cm) and the length of the inflorescences (20.8 vs. 16.2 cm), whereas the number and size of flowers fell within roughly similar values (42-43 flowers). The use of the Mann-Whitney U test, as well as mathematical modeling through linear regression, indicates a strong influence of both the cultivar and the cultivation system on the morphological characters analyzed.
The plant was brought to Europe approximately 100 years ago and although it has a good ability to adapt to temperate-continental climate conditions, it is less known in Romania.
Therefore, the present work aimed to analyze the behavior of two cultivars of C. leichtlinii (‘Caerulea’ with blue flowers and ‘Alba’ with white flowers) grown in the field and in pots, in the conditions of northeastern Romania (the Iasi city), to evaluate their decorative characteristics and make recommendations on how to use them.
The observations and determinations were made during the years 2022-2023. C. leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ stood out for taller flower stems (67-73 cm) and longer inflorescences (30-34 cm). Regarding the culture system, for most of the characters analyzed, C. leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ recorded the best results in field conditions; C. leichtlinii ‘Alba’ behaves better grown in pots than in the field, by the height of flower stems (52.3 vs. 44.3 cm) and the length of the inflorescences (20.8 vs. 16.2 cm), whereas the number and size of flowers fell within roughly similar values (42-43 flowers). The use of the Mann-Whitney U test, as well as mathematical modeling through linear regression, indicates a strong influence of both the cultivar and the cultivation system on the morphological characters analyzed.
Authors
L. Draghia, A.S. Ozarchevici, M. Cantor, R.R. Bernardis, C. Chiruță, M. Apostol
Keywords
large camas, ornamental characters, growing conditions
Groups involved
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Horticulture for Human Health
- Working Group Vaccinium Species and Management
- Working Group Rubus and Ribes Species and Management
- Working Group Kiwifruit Culture and Management
- Working Group Strawberry Culture and Management
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