South African Bulbs/Geophytes 2019

[fermi de Sousa]

Moraea lurida, grown from SRGC Seedex 2015 sown 21-05-2016; first seedling 23-07-2016; first flower 10-11-18
cheers
fermi

Moraea lurida is in flower again, exactly 12 months after the first flower last year. Darren Sleep recently mentioned that most of the European stock of this highly variable species are this yellow and dark brown form. I'm hoping there is a bit more variability in the other seedlings but that might not happen. Does anyone grow any of the other forms?
I later found out what sort of pollinators it attracts!
cheers
fermi

[Paul Cumbleton]

Strumaria phonolithica (formerly Strumaria gigantea) flowering for the first time for me. This species comes from southwestern Namibia where it is classified as rare. The attractive fan-shaped arrangement of the broad leaves I think gives it great appeal even when not in flower.

Paul

[ashley]

That's a beauty Paul, and I agree about the striking foliage.  Thanks for showing it.

[Gail]

Very lovely and almost too regular to be true ...

[PaulFlowers]

Cyanella Alba


I love the clenched fist x cream egg

[fermi de Sousa]

Cyanella Alba
I love the clenched fist x cream egg

Hi Paul,
mine was in flower only a month ago here in the Southern Hemisphere! Does yours always flower in autumn?
cheers
fermi

[PaulFlowers]

Fermí

It’s the first time it’s flowered. I bought it as a bulb 2 years ago and it sulked last year with no growth what so ever. Maybe it’s trying to catch up

Also my South Africans go out into the garden in August, new seeds in July, to make the most of the light and diurnal temperature differences. By the time the harsh frosts arrive - my plants are in doors under LED lights but chilled every eve with cold night air.

My other cyanella are not flowering- but the lutea has flowers coming - I love this genus. I saw they were tecophilia

Paul

[Gail]

I hadn't come across Cyanella so was just googling and there is an interesting paper by Gillian Scott here; https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82687786.pdf
No mention of fragrance? Do they have a scent at all?

[PaulFlowers]

Gail - thanks for link. I’ll have a look.

With regards to scent my lutea had a great fragrance last year. I couldn’t smell much from the alba. I’ll have another smell at other times of the day.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Gail,
I've used the article as the basis for an application for a "WRA" - weed risk assessment - to Biosecurity to see if it can be legally brought into the country - as well as some of the other species 
cheers
fermi

[YT]

Massonia roggeveldensis, seedlings

[YT]

Lachenalia punctata (syn. L. rubida), bronze foriage seedlings

[Diane Whitehead]

With regards to scent my lutea had a great fragrance last year. I couldn’t smell much from the alba. I’ll have another smell at other times of the day.

According to The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs by Manning, Goldblatt and Snijman, each Cyanella species has a scent.

C. alba - magnolia
C aquatica - lightly scented
C.hyacinthoides - violet
C. lutea - violet
C. orchidiformis - carnation

[YT]

Daubenya alba

[Rimmer de Vries]

Lachenalia pygmea blooming in Kentucky for about the past month. blooms a bit later here than in Scotland