Tulbaghia spec. white flower

[Hans J]

Who can help ?

Before some weeks I have bought a white flowering Tulbaghia without a name ....
The owner of the nursery told me that he has received this seeds from a botanical garden but he has later lost the label  

My first idea was it is T.violacea 'Alba' ...but now I'm not shure
The flowers from my T.violacea differs in size ....
and I'm puzzling if T.violacea 'Alba' is growing from seed are they all with white flowers ?
My idea is that such such clones must multiplicatet vegetativ

I'm sorry but I have not a T.violacea 'Alba' for comparison .

Maybe anybody here knows this plant ?

Thank you in advance
Hans

[majallison]

Maybe Tulbaghia comminsii?

[Hans J]

Hi Malcolm ,

Thank you for your interest 

mhhh ... I'm not shure with T.comminsii
After my information it has leaves like grass and is in winter decidous
My plant has similar leaves like T.violacea

Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

My comminsii has very fine leaves, quite unlike the violacea leaves.  On the other extreme I have another Tulbaghia (species?) that I got from a friend that has leaves almost more like a small Agapanthus or something like that.  Flowers are similar to the violacea in size, but the foliage is comparatively huge.  The genus certainly does have some variation within it, that is for sure.

I used to grow Tulbaghia leucantha as well, and it had strange little orange flowers.  I was most upset when it died out, as it was so unusual.  I never could work out where a bright orange species fitted in among all the other species in white through pinks and purple.  

[Hans J]

Paul ,

I suppose that the Tulbaghia from your friend with the broad leaves is T.simmlerii ( earlier T.fragrans ) - from this plants exist also a white flowering form .
You are right - they looks really like a Agapanthus .

Please look on the PBS site ...there a lot Tulbaghias with orange flowers !

Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

I haven't checked out the PBS site for Tulbaghia, so I must do so.  I didn't realise there were other orange ones.... obviously much more common than I realised.

Thanks for the name for my large one.  I have both a white and a purpley flowered of this large species.  They haven't flowered for me as yet, but they seem to have settled in in the last few months that they've been living here.  Of course it remains to be seen how they do in spring/summer once winter is over.

Thanks again.

[Hans A.]

Hello Hans!

Here two pictures of T.violacea 'Alba' I took some minutes ago. Hope they may help.

[Hans J]

Hello Hans ,

thank you for your answer and the pictures ...they look similar 

What is the diameter of a flower ball from yours ?
my plant is 7,0 cm

Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

Sorry to continue to side-track your topic a bit.... but..... the large species of Tulbaghia I was talking about that you said was fragrans...... I have both a white and pink bought as fragrans, and they do look like a bit like Agapanthus, but the leaves are still quite slender and the whole plant is maybe 30 to 40cm high.  This large species I grow (again, both a white and a pinky mauve one) has leaves probably 2cm wide.  Does this sound right for fragrans?  If so, then what I have as fragrans is definitely not it.  What I have under that name has quite perfume, so I had figured without actually checking it out, that this was the reason it was called fragrans?

[Hans J]

Paul ,

no problem - I'm always happy to discuss with you

I told you the species with the broad leaves is T.simmlerii ..and the earlier name was T.fragrans .
By my plants have I just looked are the leaves 1,7 cm ( I'm happy that you also use our system )
If you look under Tulbaghia there are not so many plants with with white and violett flowers ....and only simmleri looks correct .
To the perfume : I have in meantime read on several websites for Tulbaghia that this plants have by day not so much perfume ...but by night they have more ! ( the main pollinators are moths )
Here is a older pic from my T.simmleri 'Alba' :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4637.msg62595#msg62595

Hans

[Paul T]

Hans,

Thanks.  If the leaves of simmleri/fragrans are that wide, then I obviously have something else that isn't correct under that name.  The other two I have as fragrans are much smaller.  My recollection is that the two fragrans are white and pink (i.e 2 separate plants) and that the two large ones of mine are white and mauvey purple (two separate plants).  Once my larger ones settle in I hope to get flowers I can show you.  My original smaller ones bought as fragrans have a flower on the pink form at the moment, so I'll try to get a photo to see what they actually are.

[Hans J]

Paul ,

please look here :

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6462.msg196693#msg196693

this forum is really a wonderful source for any information
Hans