Bulbs flowering April 2008

[Michael J Campbell]

My first thought (and second) on seeing your B. paradoxa  Michael, was B. pycnantha.

Lesley, have you got a pic of B. pycnantha, Googled it but I can't find a decent pic

[Diane Clement]

My first thought (and second) on seeing your B. paradoxa Michael, was B. pycnantha.

Its the same thing.  What used to be called B pycnantha was renamed as B paradoxa a few years ago (and bizarrely, more recently, the new Kew monocot database puts Bellevalia in the family Asparagaceae  )

[Lesley Cox]

Well that sorts THAT then. AGAIN, thanks Diane. I haven't got a pic Michael. I had 3 good bulbs in a pot a couple of years ago and someone nicked the pot. The only thing ever stolen from my garden I think.

On the other hand, I have something else, another Bellevalia I mean, as B. paradoxa. Haven't got a pic of that either for now.

[Tony Willis]

here is my bellavalia pycnantha which I collected in one of its type locations in Eastern Turkey. It is slightly darker than the photograph and yes I do know there are greenfly on its leaves

[Lesley Cox]

Yours looks nothing at all like mine (someone's else now ) Tony, nor like the pics above.

[ashley]

These began flowering today, 15 months from SRGC seed     Although they came as requienii, flower size is only 8-10 mm, tepals pointed and colour wrong.  Leaves are reddish at the base and the flower stem is about 10 cm - are they columnae perhaps?

Further to Reply #8 above:
Romulea gigantea - named by someone with a sense of humour - and with a reputation it seems!
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/SouthAfricanRomuleasTwo

[art600]

I think this might be the genuine article.  Photographed in Iran in 2005