Gethyllis

[angie]

Interesting to hear your thoughts. I suppose in life there are folks that don't care about anything or anyone they just want to make money.
At the discussion weekend we were shown a piece of land in America full of wonderful plants that would have took a lifetime to establish and Walmart comes along and dumps one of their huge retail stores right on top. My heart sank at the thought.

Excuse my ignorance. Are these bulbs ( south african )that are sold on eBay taken from the wild, how do i know

Angie

[PeterT]

It is hard to know, there is a motto -

"if it looks too good to be true - it probably is!"

your best bet is to contact people who grow the plants already, or people with good reputations, whom one would expect not to risk their reputations by being silly.

[Ezeiza]

For instance, plants like the Boophones or Brusnvigias are registered to flower in 14-16 years from seed (although they will probably live 200 years or more) under ideal conditions. This same year bulbs of both weighting kilos were for sale at eBay at resonable prices. Angie, if you grow one plant for say 12 years you will have to sell them at good prices. There was this new nursery in South Africa again in 2011 selling bulbs that are known to be slow to grow at low prices. Among others, they were selling the critically endangered Moraea loubseri. Note that in all those cases it was bulbs that were for sale. Selling seeds is not usually a problem (of course, untless only a few specimens remain in the planet).

[angie]

Thanks Alberto,  yes you are right, if you have had to put all that time into growing and keeping the plant healthy you would expect to receive a very good price. 14-16 years from seed  wish I had started with SA bulbs when I was in my twenties  not mid fifties.
I think Peter has said what I have thought myself.
One thing about the forum is people are generous with seed and their extra baby plants. Hope I can share someday.

Angie 

[Ezeiza]

Angie, by sharing seeds and plants a good deal of pressure can be taken off wild plants. This is a super forum in that people is extremely generous, often spontaneously offering their surplus material. Something very encouraging in the UK is that if someone is suspected of digging wild plants for sale he will be crucified and can well say his business goodbye. You seldom hear a voice in defense of plundering of wild plants.

In other countries if someone is reported to sell wild collected plants he will be showered with new orders and enthusiastic fresh customers.

I never stop surprising at the superb quality of SA plants grown in England. In my own country sunshine can be ferocious and therefore such plants are very well grown without much extra effort but in Britain being winter growers they grow at increasingly lower light values and in spring the foliage can be scorched.

SA amaryllids are mostly very slow to reach flowering size but in the irid family you have hundreds that will flower during their third season of life.

[BULBISSIME]

Nice spiral leave from Gethyllis linearis