November 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Ezeiza]

They are not related, dear Lesley. C. luteus grows in open pastures and the flowers look upwards and are salver (?) shaped. Amabilis have drooping flowers with fringed edges and grow in semishade in the wild.

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Alberto, I had just realized that from Bill's picture. But I didn't, before. I really must grow more of these lovely bulbs. A favourite one is C. palnmeri with its sugar pink flowers and I find it quite easy, along with some of the small ones like umbellatus.

I've come here for consolation tonight as I can't bear to listen anymore to the news broadcasts about our poor, dead miners.

[Tecophilaea King]

This Sprekelia formosissima  aka the Orchid Amaryllis or Jacobian lily from Mexico is another one of my favourite genera, with the brilliant,  spectacular crimson flowers closely resembling a delicate Hippeastrum. A magnificent species for any Amaryllid collection.

The strikingly beautiful Phaedranassa dubia and Phadranassa cinera from Ecuador and Columbia with unusual flowers which species are rarely seen in cultivation.
The long tubular flowers with a dusky blue green tubes are often produced in glowing shades of deep pink, which contrast the protruding yellow anthers superbly.

[Paul T]

Bill,

You come up with the most wonderful descriptions.  Do you have these written down somewhere, or do you make them up on the spot.  They are absolutely brilliant!  Straight out of a gardening catalogue (and I mean that in a good way).

[Tecophilaea King]

You come up with the most wonderful descriptions.  Do you have these written down somewhere, or do you make them up on the spot.  They are absolutely brilliant!  Straight out of a gardening catalogue (and I mean that in a good way).

Paul, yes I do enjoy growing these beautiful plants, most of the times, and the digital photography to show all our friends on the forum these treasures, another one of my hobbies.
I also endeavour to get the description/facts correct, if not, I can always look up more data in books or the internet and try to present the botanical info and names as accurate as possible.
I get as much pleasure from showing the pictures and being appreciated, thanks for your nice comments.

BTW, do you grow the same Albuca canadensis species as the picture I posted on the forum?

[Paul T]

Bill,

I'm not sure re the Albuca.  I've just taken photos of the flowers.  My plant grows to around 60cm or more tall (probably larger if they were growing in the ground or in a bigger pot), with the flower stems emerging very distinctly shaped like Shepherd's Crooks, i.e the bend over on themselves in a "U" shape and the tip points downwards  By the time all the flowers have opened the stem is straight, but while opening most of the unopened flower stem points towards the ground (do you understand what I mean?) and straightens up over time.  I think that when this was discussed years ago, that feature did not fit with canadensis/flaccida either.  Certainly my other little greeny ones that I bought as canadensis later on all just have straight flower stems from the start.  I don't have a picture of the stems before flowering though, so I can't post a pic of what I am trying to explain.  All mine are finished opening now (and majority of flowers are going over, as you can see in the pics).  Mine has never ever set any seed, but it IS only a single clone bought as a bulb many years ago.  Any other information I can provide that might help?

[Ezeiza]

Sorry, Paul, I did not get your question till now.

Your description of A. flaccida (ex canadensis) is exactly like the ones we have here under that name, and flowering now as well, which is pretty amazing since you are in Australia and I in South America.

Outer anthers should be lacking, bulb tunics membranous, bulb suglobose, compact. FLOWERS LIGHTLY FRAGRANT. Leaves channeled, clasping below.

BUT, flowering time is late for normal canadensis/flaccida. It could be Albuca cooperi but in this case the bulb tunics are fibrous above.

Albuca knowledge advances slowly as more and more species are into cultivation. They are all quite different but the problem are those with wrong names in cultivation.

[Paul T]

Thanks Alberto.  So I have flaccida then, or at least some form of it?  It was discussed a few years ago on the Australian Bulb Association list and there was questioning as to what it was.  That's why I was unsure.

[Otto Fauser]

John Kitt, you mentioned that you are not particularly interested in growing your endemic Tasmanian alpine plants , I'm rather fond of them . here is a photo I took yesterday of a pan in my garden with Celmisia saxifraga in bloom , also the the extremely slow growing cushions of Pterygopappus lawrencei (silvery ) and Dracophyllum minimum .
   Also Isophysis tasmanica grows well here in a cool ,moist but welldrained spot , but is shy flowering . You should be more successful in growing it than I here in Victoria .

[John Kitt]

Thanks for the pictures Otto.
Up until recently I had not been much interested in growing Australian Natives but I have discovered Tasmanian Alpines.

I have planted up my first ever trough with (clockwise from the top right) Athrotaxis Selaginoides (King Billy Pine), Centrolepsis monogyna (Western Pincushion) Viola hederacea, Wahlenbergia saxicola (mountain blue bell) and Helichrysum scorpoides.

Last weekend I also purchased Celmisia saxifraga, Caesia Parvifolia , Centrolepsis strigosa and what I think is Celmisia asteliifolia. (I keep coming away from the nursery short one label.)
Also trying my luck with Blandfordia punicea and Bulbine bulbosa, M . Glauca and B semibarbata which are producing seeds at the moment.
I think I should stop acquiring for the moment and concentrate on their cultivation.

[WimB]

Otto and John,

beautiful plants. I've been looking for some of the plants from your region (or seeds of them) but they are unfindable in Europe   

[Lesley Cox]

Has the SRGC seedlist been notified on the Forum? Someone in Australia says it is online but I've seen no word of it. My system is set up to notify every new topic but sometimes it misses.

[WimB]

Has the SRGC seedlist been notified on the Forum? Someone in Australia says it is online but I've seen no word of it. My system is set up to notify every new topic but sometimes it misses.

Hi Lesley,

it's here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6261.0

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Lesley, it is live and yes, it was announced... twice.....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6261.msg173785#msg173785

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6070.msg173786#msg173786


 Oh, posted at the same time.... thanks, Wim. 

[Ezeiza]

Paul, it seems we have the same late flowering clone of A. faccida (previously A. canadensis). I went to check the fibrous neck protruding (it is not there) and the leaf bases are evidently clasping below. So flaccida it is. The flowers are lightly fragrant indeed.

As for the color the yellow seems to be variable, in some cases very near green.

Hope this helps. It seems we need ot obtain another wild collected clone for comparison.