Slow growing seedlings from Sichuan - even this small, the spines are characteristic.  

Grown from wild Sichuan seed(near Kanding) in Norway. Bjornar Olsen

 

   Same seed as previous. Bjornar Olsen   Colour variation in same seed batch as previous. Bjornar Olsen
 
 
 
 
             
Seed from Shaluli Shan, Sichuan flowering in autumn (!) in a Norwegian garden. Different flower structure and anther colour from wild seed collected by this grower near Kanding. Bjornar Olsen   This and the next image, again are grown in Norway from wild seed from the Shaluli Shan by Bjornar Olsen. The two plants are quite different but both very attractive.   Wild seed from Sichuan grown in Norway by Bjornar Olsen. Seed has been collected from these flowering in 2008 and is already growing on. Quite apart from individual talent clearly Norway may well grow species that are even difficult in Scotland and this may be of great importance in conservation as plants in the wild become rare or seed unobtainable.