Goodness when did it have a name change to Linnaea amabilis? Thanks chimera for update. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=L...a=X&ei=2ldUVf2oMMO6swGTnYCoBA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
Kolkwitzia amabilis is an accepted name on theplantlist. And they do not indicate a synonym.....go figure. Susan Dunlap www.findplants.net
Flora of China and GRIN still use Kolkwitzia as well. We'll have to look at the paper that introduces the changes--Christenhusz MJM. 2013. Twins are not alone: a recircumscription of Linnaea (Caprifoliaceae). Phytotaxa125 (1): 25–32.
Thanks for all the comments. This mature and beautiful shrub is located at the south side of West 37 Ave between Kersland Dr. and Alberta St. at SW corner of Queen Elizabeth Park, map: https://goo.gl/maps/Dv16w
What do you look at to distinguish Kolkwitzia/Linnea from Weigela, for instance, this Weigela hortensis photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weigela_hortensis_10.JPG (Wikimedia Commons, author Qwert1234)? I'm seeing some Kolkwitzia with little or no throat markings, some Weigela with throat markings. The fuzz around the (are they bracts or bud scales, or where is that coming from?) on the Kolkwitzia, does that remain as an identifying feature?
Size? for Kolwitzia we have Type: shrub Forms: arching, erect Leaves deciduous Max height: 11.5 feet Max width: 11.5 feet Weigelia (japonica in this case) we have: Type: shrub Forms: clumping, erect Leaves deciduous Max height: 16.4 feet Max width: 16.4 feet
I'm not sure how these changes work, but other plants are mentioned in the paper Eric referred to. http://www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/content/2013/f/pt00125p032.pdf
Kolkwitzia/Linnea .... The hairs behind the petals are what I look for. Even after the petals have fallen they still remain. See link. http://www.eggert-baumschulen.de/im...684_4_Kolkwitzia-amabilis-Perlmuttstrauch.JPG http://www.robsplants.com/images/portrait/KolkwitziaAmabilis040531.jpg The sepals that remain remind me of Abelia after petal drop. http://www.lejardinetdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/abelia-sepals.jpg Weigela have neither of these features. http://www.newplantsandflowers.com/wp-content/uploads/Weigela-´Wings-of-fire´-flower.jpg Weigela flowers have prominent stigma./female bits. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=W...&sa=X&ei=4w5VVdyGNYXkUd3AgcAI&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
Sadly none of the above would help me to tell them apart! In UK we spell it Weigela. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=false&query=weigela http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=134805
So do we, but I have most often heard it pronounced wih-GEE-lee-uh. Funny enough, this Wiktionary page says for weigelia: So that would be the dated form already in 1913. Searching on that spelling, I'm getting mostly French pages and a Dutch page. As for pronunciation, yourdictionary.com page for Weigela shows [wī jē′lə, -gē′-] for the pronunciation, with the audio pronunciation using the second form, so something like why-GHEE-la (and says weigelia is a variant spelling). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/weigela gives [wahy-gee-luh, -jee-, wahy-guh-luh, with the audio pronouncing according to the first option http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela gives /waɪˈdʒiːlə/, accent on the first syllable, with the first syllable long i as in bide, next syllable j as in jam, last vowel as the a in about. That would be about all the possibilities, with some source supporting any option. Thanks for the replies.
In general larger Kolkwitzia seen here greatly surpass any Weigela in size. Latter genus commemorates Joseph Weigel, therefore I tend to assume pronunciations approximating WEI-gel-a - assuming Weigel is spoken something like VAY-gel - are more apt but in casual conversation use wye-GEE-la is that version seems to be prevalent. And as Stearn says in Botanical Latin, probably the main thing is that everyone involved knows what is being talked about. To this I would add that if you start using pronunciations not familiar to your audience of the moment this becomes a distraction.
I'm adding two photos of the fuzzy stems on a Kolkwitzia at QE Park. I'm so happy to be able to recognize these now. While I was chatting with a friend at the info desk at VanDusen yesterday, someone came over with a photo of Weigela for ID and I was able to say what it was and point to a nearby Kolkwitzia for comparison.
Typo. We spell it Weigela in the U.S. too! Agree that height alone is limited as a resource to identify a plant, if the specimen in question is taller than the height attained by another species, the information can be helpful.
