[MikeHardman]

Just back from a hike to the lighthouse near the northern tip of the Akamas Peninsula (lovely day for it).

Main flowers seen:
- Narcissus obsoletus (many) (see post )
- Bellis sylvestris (many)
- Hyacinthella millingeni (many)
- Romulea tempskyana (a few)
Nice

[Daisy]

That looks like a lovely walk Mike.
I have a seedling turned up in my garden, that looks like it could be Bellis sylvestris.
The leaves look the same.
I will have to wait till next year before I know though, as it is too young to flower now.
Daisy

[John]

Hi Mike, it's many years since I visited Cyprus on the one occasion and it was the north. I seem to remember that the Hyacinthella millingenii were quite a strong bluish colour. Is this pale form unusual or common in the south. Perhaps I should say are there darker ones in the south?

[MikeHardman]

John,
There are darker blue forms (including some on my land), but most of the ones I saw on this walk were pale (one might think of Hyacinthella leucophaea, which does not occur on Cyprus - unless I have  just discovered it here!). Meikle describes the colour as 'pale blue'.
I am familiar with the species only from the Akamas Peninsula and nearby areas, where pale to very pale blue seems commonest. I can't speak for other parts of southern Cyprus.

BTW, I have checked, and I am pretty sure my ID is correct; it is neither Bellevalia nivalis nor Muscari parviflorum.

Of note perhaps: the pale flowers in my photo still have violet anthers (just visible) and purplish stems.
Here's another pale one, however, with no blue/violet at all - not in the petals, anthers, stem or leaf bases. I found it in pine woods further south on the Akamas, on 26dec09. In the same, sparse, colony there were more normal pale blue forms, the pigment tinting the petals, anthers, stem and leaf bases (below).

[John]

Hi, thanks. I assume that different populations are variable which is not surprising. There's something special about finding an albino form, perhaps it's when they are uncommon.