King’s Ransom
Again, I find a discrepancy in filament color between my plant and Silvia’s notes. However, the tops of the filaments are lighter and could be described as “cream”. I have other photos in which the red color is only close to the base of the filaments. Silvia also noted that petals (petaloids) could be scattered throughout the anthers.
I’ve received ‘King’s Ransom’ from two different and reliable sources. The two plants are identical so I’m fairly confident I have the right plant in spite of the discrepancy in filament color.
| Cultivar: | King’s Ransom |
| Year: | 1952 |
| Seedling No: | 14153 |
| Parentage: | unknown, never offered in a Saunders’ Nursery Catalogue |
| Flower: | Color: | red, lighter than ‘Patriot’ or ‘Postilion’ |
| Form: | semi-double | |
| Blooms: | 4 or 5 | |
| Carpels: | 5, pale green, glabrous | |
| Stigmas: | pale pink | |
| Disc: | white | |
| Stamens: | filaments red at base, shading lighter (Silvia Saunders’ notes say “cream”) | |
| Plant: | Habit: | upright |
| Foliage color: | medium green | |
| Foliage form: | medium sized leaves, lobed | |
| Height: | tall, 37″ in 2021 | |
| Recommendation: | Recommended |
| Availability: | Rare |
