Crinum 2011

[jshields]

I've first bloom on my plant of Crinum razafindratsiraea.  This is a miniature crinum, about the size of Crinum lugardiae from KwaZulu-Natal or a little smaller.  This came from I.B.S., but any in cultivation anywhere in the world probably can be traced to Dave Lehmiller, who discovered it in 1996 and described the species in 2000.  It is native to Madagascar.  This one is growing in a 2-gal. pot (22 cm X 22 cm).  The flowers are about 5.5 inches (ca. 13-14 cm) across and the peduncle is 12 inches (30 cm) high.

The buds appear growing perfectly straight up.  Just before they open, they arch over and point downwards.  When they finally do open, the flowers again face upward.

Jim

[bulborum]

Very nice one Jim
just one for tropical temperatures ?
and the man or women who named it
used a little LSD ?
impossible to pronounce

Roland

[ArnoldT]

An exciting new species from Madagascar where it was found by Mr Alfred Razafindratsira and named by Dr. D. Lehmiller of Texas.

[Peter II]

Sehr schön Pflanze. Die würde gut in meine sehr kleine Sammlung passen.

[jshields]

Dave Lehmiller named it for the man who was guiding him in the back country of Madagascar when he discovered this one.  I pronounce it more or less as:   rahza - finn - draht - suh -rye - uh but we would have to ask Dave for a definitive pronunciation guide.  It does much better if it does not see temperatures below 50°F in winter, while remaining quite dry.  I keep it in my "warm" greenhouse, temp around 55°F, in winter along with my Nerine bowdenii, various Strelitzia species, Proiphys, Rhodophiala, and Cyrtanthus.  It has taken this crinum since 2001, when I bought it as a small bulb from I.B.S., to struggle to grow to bloom size.  Tropical conditions would probably benefit it.

Jim

[Ezeiza]

A more peaceful alternative for Dave would be Crinum alfredii.

[jshields]

Sehr schön Pflanze. Die würde gut in meine sehr kleine Sammlung passen.

[PeterT]

Well done Jim, congratulations. It is lovely.

[jshields]

A more peaceful alternative for Dave would be Crinum alfredii.

Certainly easier for some of us to pronounce!  And the name seems to still be available.

[Ezeiza]

Like in the saying: "Why making it easy if we can make it difficult?"

[jshields]

That's how we tell the professionals from the amateurs -- and Dave's a real pro.

[jshields]

Crinum variabile started blooming several days ago, but the heat has the flowers looking pretty bedraggled.  I'm pollinating some of them, but I don't know if they will set seed in the heat.  They certainly aren't photogenic right now.

C. variabile is native to the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape in South Africa.  It turns out that it is an opportunistic grower, so it grows quite well here in the summertime.  It is also remarkably resistant to freezing, so mature bulbs survive outdoors in the ground all year around, here in central Indiana.

This photo is from last summer.  Note that the flowers open almost pure white, but turn pink as they age.  It makes a very nice effect in the garden -- at least, when the weather isn't so blasted hot.  The plant is somewhat more compact than C. bulbispermum and C. x-powellii.  It does not do well in containers; I think it needs a very long, deep root run.  It should be much more common in cultivation than it is.

Jim

[ArnoldT]

Crinum Rose Parade

[jshields]

Nothing like 'Rose Parade' but here is a small species, Crinum lugardiae from KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.  This one bloomed a second time this season, the rebloom coming much later than usual.  A fully mature bulb of this species does quite well in a 2-gallon (22 cm x 22 cm) pot.  This is definitely not hardy in the ground here in Indiana, but its hybrid with bulbispermum seems happy enough outdoors in the ground year-round here.

Jim

[PeterT]

Does this species have a good scent Jim?