Bellevalia paradoxa

Bellevalia paradoxa (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Boiss

1. History/Origin

Native to Central Asia, Pamir Mountains, North and North East Afghanistan.

Sold as ‘atroviolaceae’ meaning the ‘darkest violet’. This plant is reported to have the darkest violet blue colour of all the Bellevalias. In the JJA Master List of Archibald Seed, it was noted as Bellevalia pycnantha, having ‘heads of strangely crumpled bells in deep inky blue black’

Plants are also commonly sold under the synonym of ‘pycnantha’.

2. IPNI Data – First published in

B paradoxa – Fl. Orient. 5: 308 (1884)

B pycnantha – V.L. KOMAROV (ed.) Fl. URSS 4: 404 (1935)

Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. ser. 6, 18: 256 1884

3. Plants of the world online ref:

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531875-1

COLLECTION NOTES

4. Supplier:

Rare Plants Sep 2018

5. Description of supplier:

Described under its synonym of Bellevalia atroviolaceae…

A clustered spike of hanging funnels of a deep indigo blue above veering toward the sinister violet black of gothic novels below. Nursery raised from original Afghani collection…