Flowers of Lilium ‘Patricia’s Pride’
Lilies certainly have a high rank among the groups of plants with the most cultivated (named) selections, with over 3000 entries in the RHS Horticultural Database. If anyone has the inclination to do so, it’d make for an interesting discussion in the comments about which genera have the most cultivars, particularly by plant groups (trees, shrubs, conifers specifically, etc.).
Despite the number of cultivars, lily breeding has only been done on a mass scale during the past century; most cultivars have been developed from the 1970s onwards. This has been largely due to the incorporation of embryo rescue into breeding programs. Read Horticulture magazine’s account of Super Hybrid Lilies for more on the history of lily breeding as well as discussion about the different “types” of lilies. Wikipedia also has good descriptions of the latter: Classification of Garden Forms of Lilies.
Lilium ‘Patricia’s Pride’ falls within “Division 1”, or the Asiatic lily hybrids. This means that the genetic parentage for this cultivar is derived from a cluster of species (and interspecific hybrids) from central and eastern Asia. Within the Asiatic lilies, ‘Patricia’s Pride’ lily falls among another informal grouping, the “Brushmark” lilies, so named because of their “short, vivid dark streaks in their flowers’ centres” (via Horticulture magazine). And, because it intrigues me to write this: Lilium ‘Patricia’s Pride’, with its Asian-origin parentage, was bred in Oregon, USA by the Scottish-born famous lily enthusiast, Edward McRae (additional memorial here, starting on page 83: Lilies 2009-2010 Yearbook). edit: I’m not certain where I made that conclusion from, but this was clearly hybridized by the Minnesotan Julius Wadekamper (as discussed in this set of his recollections, under the name ‘Purple Reign’) Thanks Riz for flagging this in this comments! end edit. Today’s photograph was taken in Italy.
Asiatic lily, bred in Oregon, growing in Italy (for the photo) — lilies seem to be quite global, at least in terms of popularity!
Brushmarks, indeed… Well, at least not doubles ! And why do current catalogues regale us with more and more outlandish forms and colours of horticultural varieties — of not just lilies, but irises, tulips, so many others ? Yet nothing matches, in my eyes, the elegant beauty of, above all, many of the species lilies. Thank you, Daniel, for your Botany Photos ! Please keep on delighting us with your finds !
What beautiful lilies, they are always one of my favourite flowers. I have had a rather stressful
summer with family issues and flowers always make me feel calm and peaceful. I don’t know
whether I could grow these in my garden as I live in Oyster Bay, in very south Campbell River
and we have very dry, rocky like soil and we cannot afford to bring in truckloads of new earth.
Keep sending me these lovely photos, Wendy Burke, Campbell River, B.C.
how beautiful!
What a delightful flower, and bearing my name as well. God’s gift.
These beautiful photos are always a balm for the heart and respite for the soul, and the accompanying text is always a delight for the mind … thank you so much!!! I smile every time I click on to the postings 🙂
Stunning hybrid! I wonder how this compares to a variety from long ago called ‘Purple Reign’ bred by Julius Wadekamper. They look very similar.
Hmm, hmm. Now I am wondering where I picked up the information on Edward McRae being the breeder. The 2007 Lily Register notes J. Wadekamper was the hybridizer, “pre-1989”.
It also has this to say about ‘Purple Reign’: “Incorrectly stated in ILRC 2007 2nd Supplement (2010) to be a synonym of ‘Purple Rain’ (Wadekamper); ‘Patricia’s Pride’ in fact substitutes for Wadekamper’s unacceptable epithet ‘Purple Reign’”