Forum home› The potting shed
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Are these white Bluebells the English variety?

lindaallen18lindaallen18 Posts: 2
in The potting shed
I've spotted these white bells in my local park.  Are they English or Spanish? There is only a small cluster of them amongst the long grass of the park. 
awaiting your comments
thanks x
«1

Posts

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    No, they are Spanish or hybrids.
  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,906
    Hello lindaallen and welcome to the forum. Those are Spanish bluebells. The easiest way to tell the difference between native and Spanish bluebells is that Spanish bluebells have flowers that emerge from all around the stem whereas English bluebells only flower on one side of the stem.
    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • Matt_Matt_ Posts: 49
    A little surprised by the responses. I've done a lot of googling to try and identify my own bluebells this year and these don't look at all like the pictures of Spanish bluebells I've found, far more like English bluebells. What am I missing?


  • lindaallen18lindaallen18 Posts: 2
    Thanks x
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I thought they looked English too.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Matt, what surprises you? 
    English Bluebells are blue.
    Pink white and lilac are not. Neither are the tall ones.
    If you show yours, someone will identify them for you if you’re not sure.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/whiteknightsbiodiversity/2014/04/30/bluebells-and-pinkbells-and-whitebells/ Native, hybrid and Spanish bluebells can all have blue, pink and white varieties. The pollen colour and leaf size are better identification points.

  • Matt_Matt_ Posts: 49
    Looking around online it seemed that white native bluebells do exist and can mix with blue bluebells to have various shades (though not pink). The distinguishing feature seems to be more shape than colour, as in the picture I posted before. Happy to be corrected, as I say this is just from reading online.

    I'm quite confident my own are English as they are both blue and the droopy one-sided kind.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Ah, right, I didn’t think they came in white, only when they were at the hybrid stage. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Matt_Matt_ Posts: 49
    steephill said:
    https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/whiteknightsbiodiversity/2014/04/30/bluebells-and-pinkbells-and-whitebells/ Native, hybrid and Spanish bluebells can all have blue, pink and white varieties. The pollen colour and leaf size are better identification points.

    Interesting! I shall have a look at the pollen in mine later to check (if there's any left).
Sign In or Register to comment.