Bulbs from South Africa - 2010

[Ray]

Hi Fermi, M collina may be on the permitted list,but it is also on OZ noxious weed list.bye Ray

[Afloden]

Here is Drimiopsis comptonii in flower for the first time with me. Tiny little pink flowers. It is the first of the Ledebouria and Drimiopsis collection to flower this year.

 

[Maggi Young]

I thought Drimiopsis were reclassified as all Ledebourias?
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=EDF1BF5CD8DC21AAF1662E07D1688282.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=214959
.....A REVISED GENERIC SYNOPSIS OF HYACINTHACEAE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, BASED ON MOLECULAR EVIDENCE, INCLUDING NEW COMBINATIONS AND THE NEW TRIBE PSEUDOPROSPEREAE-J. C. MANNING a1, P. GOLDBLATT a2 and M. F. FAY a3
 2003

[Afloden]

 According to their work they felt it correct to lump the genera together, BUT there was no resolution in their tree when it came to Resnova, Ledebouria, and Drimiopsis. I prefer Lebatha's thesis, and that morphology between the genera is very distinct, except maybe Resnova. I've not grown Resnova spp before, but by photographs I don't see anything that separates them from Drimiopsis.

 Aaron

[Maggi Young]

Thanks, Aaron.

[Diane Whitehead]

My first South African bulb to flower from seed and, wouldn't you know it?
No label in the pot.  It is in with all the Gladiolus, and the leaves look right.

I would be pleased if someone can i.d. it.
Alberto has helped with the identification.  The stigma is
divided into six parts, and the leaf has a thick midrib.  So, it is not a Gladiolus,
but a Watsonia, perhaps humilis.

[David Nicholson]

Here is Geissorhiza corrugata. I got a few very small corms last September from the South African Bulb Group Exchange and quite frankly didn't expect any flowers this year.

[Darren]

I'm going to resist the spin-off thread and put my SA gladdies in here

First is G. watsonius. Second is G. orchidiflorus which is possibly my favourite (has a terrific scent too).  

Then the next is now a Moraea but was formerly Galaxia citrina. First time I've ever seen the flower - it is only 15mm across and is open for only an hour or two. I'm sure it has flowered before but probably when I was at work!

Lastly is a mystery Lachenalia which appeared in the plunge. It is not a species I have ever grown so where it came from I have no idea. Nice though, and growing it in the sand has kept it nice and compact.

David - the corms of that Geissorhiza are very small indeed! Just you wait until repotting time when you try to find the offsets...   

[daveyp1970]

Here is Geissorhiza corrugata. I got a few very small corms last September from the South African Bulb Group Exchange and quite frankly didn't expect any flowers this year.

Fantastic David its not one i grow none of my baby Geissorhiza flowered this year maybe next,whats the inside of the flower like is there any nice marking inside?

[daveyp1970]

Darren them there gladies are to die for two that are on my seed order list for this summer its really frustrating seeing all your gladies in flower seeing i only started with mine from seed three years ago i can't wait to start and show my babies flowering.
Diane well done on flowering your first seedling how long did it take?

[Diane Whitehead]

It's hard to say how long it took for my unlabelled Watsonia to bloom
because I started Watsonia seeds in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and
none of the names on my database match with the plant that is flowering.

So it will have to remain a mystery in all aspects.

[Diane Whitehead]

Darren,

Gladiolus orchidiflorus is one of my favourites, too.  I just
have a few thread-like leaves so far.  How long did it take for yours
to flower?

And how did you manage the background plaid using the same
colours as the flower?

[Hristo]

Diane, David, Darren, great treasures!
The G.orchidiflorus is a stunner!
Darren, your mystery Lachenalia has a look of
pustulata about it, the species is variable and
I have plants from seed without pustules on the leaves!!

[Darren]

I think that the G orchidiflorus took an average of 4 years to flower but it is hard to tell as I had seed from several sources, only two of which turned out to be the real thing!  I was lucky enough to see it in the wild near Langebaan in 1999 - just over the sand dunes from a lagoon full of flamingo.

The watsonius is the first flower at ten years old! I think this is more to do with my learning how to grow it than any innate slowness in the species. It and the similar huttonii frustrate me most years. I'm sure the pots I am currently using are too small and the resulting variable conditions at the root sometimes make the flowers abort. I've invested in some  square deep pots for use at repotting time this year.

Diane - the background is accidental and I tried to blur it as much as possible! it is the wire mesh over the door opening behind the bench.

Chris - I agree with your pustulata idea. I have had seedlings of this in the past which I got rid of before they flowered - maybe I missed one. Wish I'd kept the others now. It also looks a little bit like latimerae but my only seedlings of this are just in bud now for the first time.

[Hristo]

Hi Darren
These 'late' season flowerers catch me out, bulbifera and aloides are all packed away but 'purpureo-caerulea' is flowering after
re-emerging from a batch of bulbifera with which it has languished and survived for 3 or 4 years. L.haarlemensis should be flowering within the next week or two. The Lach in the background is my late season pustulata, no leaf pustules and had the same flower form as yours, it has set seed in a big way!