Androcymbium gramineum

[BULBISSIME]

Not always easy to grow because it sometimes stay 1 year without vegetation at all !
Less floriferous than A. rechingerii, this is A. gramineum, from Morocco.
I grow it in the bulb frame, in pure quartz sand.

[Ragged Robin]

Congratulations Fred, really lovely.....where would it grow in the wild?

[BULBISSIME]

For what I know, it grow's in Nord Africa and Spain, in sand.

[Ragged Robin]

Quartz sand presumably has plenty of minerals, does it Fred?  If the foliage doesn't appear sometimes how on earth does the plant regenerate itself year on year to produce such a lovely flower? I was amazed to see Colchicum growing close to the sand dunes in Hristo's thread in Bulgaria

[BULBISSIME]

In fact, the corm just stays dormant for one or more year if the conditions are not good enough for it's growth ...

[Paul T]

Robin,

A lot of the Moraeas can skip years, in fact I have had some species have a bulb that has skipped up to 6 years before resurfacing again.  Doesn't seem to bother them much.... they just sit there and wait until conditions suit whatever it is that that particular bulb/corm has decided it needs before it will shoot again.  In the Moraeas I have had 2 corms where one shot every year and the other just sat there, then one year the one that hadn't been up came up and the other one stayed dormant.  Who knows why? 

Lovely Androcymbium, Fred.

[Miriam]

Very nice!
I like this genus.

In fact, the corm just stays dormant for one or more year if the conditions are not good enough for it's growth ...

Maybe try to use a different soil mixture for them instead of quartz...

[BULBISSIME]

Miriam,
they grow well now, since I've planted the corms in the pure sand !
I stilll have a pot with standard soil and only 1 corm is starting to grow.....
I hope to get seeds.

[mark smyth]

Looks like a little Colchicum

[cohan]

Quartz sand presumably has plenty of minerals, does it Fred?  If the foliage doesn't appear sometimes how on earth does the plant regenerate itself year on year to produce such a lovely flower? I was amazed to see Colchicum growing close to the sand dunes in Hristo's thread in Bulgaria

as far as  i know, quartz stone or sand is quite entirely sterile, unless its an area where organic matter deposits on top or soils exist underneath (there are some habitats in brasil popular with certain cacti that have a layering of quartz with other materials)...
in pure quartz, plants will grow like epiphytes (more lithophyte of course) where the substrate is only providing anchorage/shelter..

[Ragged Robin]

Amazing how some plants seem to live off thin air Cohan  

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Not always easy to grow because it sometimes stay 1 year without vegetation at all !

Bravo Fred !! It looks great, well done ! 

[cohan]

Amazing how some plants seem to live off thin air Cohan  

so true! rain water, maybe critter droppings if they are lucky, maybe runoff water from some spot with soil or organic matter?
there are bromeliads you grow with no soil, just water, no ferts....

[BULBISSIME]

the same is blooming now 

[Darren]

Lovely plant Fred!

Like Paul - I've found that Moraea are especially prone to skipping a year. In the UK it is especially if they don't get a warm enough summer rest - M. loubseri is the worst culprit here. I don't think that can be the case with Paul T's hot summers though! The variability in response between individuals in a species may be a good evolutionary safeguard which prevents all plants from being in growth if disaster strikes (unseasonal fire, grazing, drought etc).

 An off-topic musing: Older gardening books used to recommend a good 'baking' in the sun under glass for bulbs. This was discredited by a newer generation who advocated a cool dry rest. Both are dangerous generalisations. I'm sure you bulb growers out there will share my experience that some bulbs really do want a very warm dry summer and others really do want the opposite! The only useful guideline is to know your plants and the conditions they grow in in nature.