I had this plant with the name of S. townsendii, but it is now thought to be S. iodantha var. townsendii. It is certainly similar to S. iodantha. It had lots of flowers for a short period in winter, under glass, but was not too happy in the cool and damp greenhouse conditions.

Robin.

Hi! Robin I find your comment interesting because when I viewed Dariot's supplied pic it reminded me of S. iodantha except S. iodantha has a verticillasters that are very close together, much like S. purpurea. Could that be the difference between S. iodantha and S. iodantha var townsendii?
It's been cold here in Australia and I've even had quite a few frosty nights and we've been having lots of rain. My iodantha seems to be doing fine in spite of these conditions but it is nestled between two bushy natives (grevillias).
I've added a pic to my site of the inflorescence of S. iodantha so you can see how it compares to the inflorescence of S. townsendii.
Cait

Here is a link that might be useful: S iodantha

Cait, your S. iodantha looks more healthy than mine ever did! If I get them both to flower next winter, I will compare the flowers. There is also another species, S. pringlei which seems extremely similar. (Also in the UK, S. iodantha gets muddled with S. purpurea, but I am sure that I have the real S. purpurea.)

Hope you had a nice birthday, yesterday!

Robin.

Hi! Thanks, Robin! I had an excellent birthday. Got a bare-rooted Nashi tree I can't wait to plant and dreaming seasons away so I can taste a Nashi from my own tree!

I found another site with a pic of S townsendii. This is a dried collected piece pic and I would love to get my hands on the calyces in hopes of finding seed.

I'll probably start another thread about iodantha, purpurea, and that gorgeous S pringlei you mentioned.

Cait

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1244765}}