Damaged G. reginae-olgae bulb

[Ezeiza]

We are talking about Galanthus (same to other amaryllids). That other forms of propagation are possible in other families does not prove otherwise.

[Martin Baxendale]

We are talking about Galanthus (same to other amaryllids). That other forms of propagation are possible in other families does not prove otherwise.

What about when bulbils develop on the upper parts of snowdrop scales that have been chipped, away from the basal plate or basal plate cone, which has happened for me? Is it the case that there must always be at least some small amount of basal plate tissue attached to the scale - even just a thin layer of cells on the inside of the scale, to initiate bulbil formation? When bulbils form on the outside of a scale, as in Hagen's bulb and in my chips, does that mean that some remnant of basal plate tissue attached to the scale is sending chemical signals to the scale tissue "telling" it to form a bulbil? 

[Lesley Cox]

Hagen, the damage/rot of the basal plate in your picture, suggests to me that there has been a Narcissus fly grub inside. It looks typical of that problem. When I've had similar, I've removed the grub - beastly thing - with tweezers and destroyed it but then I've thrown away the bulb. Your experience suggests I should have kept the bulb and tried something else. A lesson learned today. Thank you.

[Ezeiza]

Yes, the scales must have a piece of basal plate attached to produce bulbils. If one keeps the two halves of an amaryllid bulb sliced horizontally, the upper half lingers on and gradually turns into a prune, while the upper half (if not soaking wet) will produce scar tissue and bulbils along it.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Hello Lesley, yes it looks like an attack of a narcissus fly grub. But it was`nt. The inner of the bulb was/is OK. I mean it were the damage symptoms of a slater or a centipede.
With a little good luck you can recover a n.f.g infected bulb too, if the bulb has big and not destroyed sidescales.  But this is not often.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Alberto, Martin
may be
this pic can help?!

You can see twinscaled parts of a bulb. Also parts of the throat. All bring bulbils, or?

[Maggi Young]

I was just about to say what Hagen has illustrated.... that the top part of a galanthus bulb will also produce bulbils. We have seen this demonstrated elsewhwere in the Forum on previous occasions.
If  a bulb has the top section cut off to make it easier to chop or twinscale the bulb it is common practice to discard that portion but there is evidence from several forumists that the expereince Ian and I have had is quite usual... that the cut part, if treated in the same way as "regular" twinscales can also produce bulbils.

Since the scales of a true bulb are modified leaf bases (since they never extend above ground) they have all the inbuilt capacity to form bulbils. If the basal plate is extant then the bulbils will form  there, in what is effectively the leaf axils.  In the absence of a basal plate then other "dormant buds" on the scale structure  can come into play and serve to produce bulbils there.

[Martin Baxendale]

My experience has been the same as Hagen's and Maggi's, with bulbils forming on pieces of bulb scale (such as bulb tops. bulb top rings, and even small fragments of bulb scale) which I was sure were completely severed from the basal plate and lacking any fragments of basal plate tissue. I was trying to make sure I correctly understood what Alberto's argument was, but the only way that could be correct with galanthus would be if there was some kind of thin layer of basal plate tissue running up the insides of the scales all the way to the top of the bulb. Anyway, however it works, it does. I have successfully grown bulbils from all parts of snowdrop bulbs to flowering size.

[Ezeiza]

No reason to doubt what you are showing. Puzzling.

[Brian Ellis]

My experience has been the same as Hagen's and Maggi's, with bulbils forming on pieces of bulb scale (such as bulb tops. bulb top rings, and even small fragments of bulb scale) which I was sure were completely severed from the basal plate and lacking any fragments of basal plate tissue.

Yes that has been my experience too, sorry to have missed this discussion as I was away, but your inputs are all most thought provoking.  We must just be grateful in cases like Hagen's that we have not completely lost the plant.

[Ezeiza]

Of course I went rightaway to available literature. My question was: why after the millions of experiments by the Dutch Bulb Growers Association laboratories chopping all parts of an amaryllid bulb is not even tried for bulbil production? The answer is yield: from a commercial point, the method that produces the more consistent number of hits is the established one. And chipping the lower half of the amaryllid bulb is the one that approaches the 100% mark.

Of course the alternative that you have found is very valuable as those very rare cultivars do not grow on trees, so to speak, and rescueing them this way is a great thing.