South African Bulbs/Geophytes 2018

[Rimmer de Vries]

Lachenalia splendens from 2013-14 AGS seed

[Rimmer de Vries]

Tiny Lachenalia trichophylla

[Diane Whitehead]

At last Nerine undulata flowers are starting to shrivel and produce seeds.
It has been flowering since the first of December.

I bought the seeds from Silverhill in 2004, and it first flowered in 2010.
Since then it has flowered every year and has managed to drop its seeds
in nearby pots.  I thought I was going to have Onixotis (now called Wurmbea)
flowering this year, but no, it was another plant of my prolific wavy nerine.

[Paul Cumbleton]

Daubenya aurea is flowering now.  Here is a selection of four colour forms from yellow through orange to orangey-red to red. They really brighten up the glasshouse at this time of year!

Paul

[Maggi Young]

Marvelous colours, aren't they?  Very hard to  miss those in flower. How long do the flowers last?

[GordonT]

Nice plants, Paul! I'd be interested in your reply to Maggi's question.  Do you have any tips on growing them from seed? I have no experience with Daubenya, but think a pot or two in the sunroom would be a wonderful addition. I am thinking of ordering seed from Silverhill Seeds.

[Paul Cumbleton]

Maggi, Gordon - Daubenya aurea flowers last for roughly 3 weeks, though this can vary quite a bit depending on temperature. In contrast to many other South African bulbs, they take a long time from seed to flower, 5 to 7 years seems about par for the course. I have sent seed to the exchange in past years but didn't make any pods this last season - I'll pollinate the ones in the picture this time and send seed to the next exchange. Seed is best sown in the autumn and germinates in response to the rain and falling temperatures. I keep the seed pots outside until germination occurs, but move them under glass before then if frost threatens. Once germinated I keep them in a just frost-free glasshouse and give as much light as possible (never enough in our winters!). I give a weak feed of high potash fertiliser a few times through the growing season. Once they go dormant for summer I put them under the bench so they are not too hot and keep them dry, resuming watering in the autumn. I usually tip them out after two years to pot into larger community pots and then repot every year, keeping them in community pots until they make their first flowers, then potting individually the next season. Nothing "special" then as far as raising from seed is concerned - the only essential requirement is patience!

If you buy seed from suppliers, keep it warm (NOT in the fridge, room temperature is fine) until sowing time. Seed of these winter growers coming from the exchanges arrives rather late and you have a difficult choice then; it can be sown with success as late as January, but any resulting bulbs will have a short growing season and end up very tiny as a result. These tiny bulbs are more easily lost during dormancy due to desiccation. Or you can save the seed and sow it at the better time in autumn (September). I usually prefer the latter option.

Paul

[Rimmer de Vries]

Thank you Paul. That was the best advice on growing Daubenya i have read!

Some Daubenya can be flowered from seed a bit faster. Here are two photos from Jan 6 , 2018 of a 10” pot of Daubenya zeyheri started from McMaster seed in September 2014. So 3.5 years from seed to flower. 
The third picture is the plants now.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Massonia depressa from Kamiesburg first time flowering. the center individual looks like no pollen -sterile.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Massonia depressa from Uniondale with reddish anthers just opening for the first time.

[Llllamal]

Here's some details of an unopened Lachenalia bifolia.

Interesting designs on the flower stem.

Arnold, this is Lachenalia bulbifera.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Some lachenalia blooming now
The red-orange one in the center is reported as  L callista that came as Massonia citrina.
The purple ones on the left i think are L. pallida (the seed came as Lachenalia namaquensis) due to the well extended stamens.
The multicoloured pink-purple on right back is also L pallida (the seed came as L. unicolor).

Second picture 15Feb 2018 after plunging pots in sand in fish box

[ArnoldT]

Greg:

In Graham Duncan's new Lachenalia book he indicates that the original name of L. bifolia.

page 157:

"In accordance with the International Code of botanical Nomenclature, however, the earliest epithet available for the plant is N. L. Burmann's (1786) bifolia, which W.F. Barker had intended to publish."

[Llllamal]

Duncan corrected his mistake in 2014 in Curtis's Botanical Magazine.
"Lachenalia bulbifera" by Graham Duncan in Curtis's Botanical Magazine (2014) vol. 31 (3): pp 186-195.

[Llllamal]

Some lachenalia blooming now
......
The multicoloured pink-purple on right back is L unicolor.

That would also be Lachenalia pallida (according to the monograph).