Bergeranthus vespertinus (B. jamesii)

[Fof]

Hey guys
Have any of you any experience with this growing outdoors in Cornish Hedges, or other?

TIA

Fof

[Chad]

That looks like a 'no'.

Bergeranthus glenensis was available a decade ago and didn't survive here.

Chad

[Fof]

Thanks, Chad

I had a couple of spares, from 2 different clones, so I plonked them, with extra drainage, in the hedge.
Only time will tell.

Regards

[Paul S]

Under 'other' over this side of the archipelago I have grown a number of Bergeranthus, some of which are now Hereroa, for a couple of decades and consider them to be reliable and hardy fillers. Pushed into rock crevices they expand and fill them with fleshy fingers. Flowers are cute, opening in the afternoon. But that is with 50cm of rain a year, no idea how they would get on constantly wet.

Does anyone grow Umbilicus oppositifolius? I imagine that would do well and it isn't quite as rampant as rupestris.

[JohnH]

Oops, when did the name change to Umbilicus, and why am I am always behind the times? I have been growing Chiastophyllum ;) for years, and it is one of my favourite, easy spring flowering hardy succulents.
Apologies to Paul, but I even grow 'Jim's Pride', it is a little fussy, liable to scorch in full sun and sulk in too much shade.

Here is my humble Umbilicus (photo taken this morning in the rain), weaving it's way through various succulents. It would work very nicely in a dry stone wall.

[Chad]

Oops, when did the name change to Umbilicus.

I thought the name had gone the other way, but I'm not finding any recent authority in Google Scholar to back that up.

It does throw up an article by one Paul Spracklin which says 'Umbilicus oppositifolius: – (more widely seen as syn. Chiastophyllum oppositifolium)'.

RHS have it as Umbilicus oppositifolius, but Kew have it as Chiastophyllum oppositifolium.

The name Umbilicus oppositifolius was first published in 1843, and Chiastophyllum oppositifolium in 1930. I can't find a modern genetics paper offering a revision.

This 2022 review of the names says 'At the rank of genus Chiastophyllum is at present usually treated as a synonym of Umbilicus.' But my computer has a formatting problem with the references for that paper, so I can't trace back to what 'usually treated' means.

Kew is following Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Any advance anyone?

Chad

[Paul S]

Whilst on names, mine has a C in it - just before the K. :D

[Chad]

Profuse apologies Paul.

I've corrected it above.

Chad

[Paul S]

Thank you! I am used to it, though. It is an unusual name and mostly spelt incorrectly.

[JohnH]

It was all so much more straightforward when Chiastophyllum oppositifolium stood alone. Umbilicus is a large and confusing genus for me.
I really need to do a little more research before jumping in, I am a bit of a mug when it comes to name changes and end up buying plants I already have. :lol: