South African Bulbs 2013

[Michael J Campbell]

 

[SJW]

Thanks for the list of reclassified Lachenalia, Arnold.

[SJW]

Freesia elimensis, flowering poorly for me this year.

[ArnoldT]

Funny mine failed to flower but the pot was full of bulbs or is it corms?

[Ezeiza]

Freesia corms.

Lachenalia and Polyxena are supposed to share enough DNA chains to be kin. But, there is something else that separates them: Lachenalias are extremely susceptible to viruses and most of the stock in the trade is infected. It is very easy to see it in distorted foliage. This is the reason why so many Lachenalia hybrids produced over the years are all gone without the slightest trace of their existence. On the other hand there is nothing like this susceptibility in Polyxenas and you can grow them for many years in good health.

[SJW]

Funny mine failed to flower but the pot was full of bulbs or is it corms?

For me it was Freesia caryophyllacea.

On Polyxena...I have a pot of Polyxena odorata seedlings (SRGC seedex) but on reading up about the species have seen it described as a synonym for both ensifolia and longituba. What's the latest view? And when I write 'polyxena' I do, of course, mean 'lachenalia'

[Anthony Darby]

I have a little whitish flowered Polyxena from Bill Dijk flowering at the moment.

[fermi de Sousa]

I have a little whitish flowered Polyxena from Bill Dijk flowering at the moment.

Hi Anthony,
Possibly P(L) longituba which was flowering at home before we left.
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

I think it may be ensifolia?

[fermi de Sousa]

I think it may be ensifolia?

Yes, the foliage is a bit wide for the other
cheers
fermi

[SJW]

Lachenalia liliflora, own seed, flowering for the first time. Good to have them back - the parent plants were wiped out during those couple of severe winters we had in the UK...

[Rogan]

"The hardest thing to swallow is Polyxena merged into Lachenalia"

"I know.  I had them flower and they look nothing like each other. What's the basis for this?"

"Publish or Perish"?   

[SJW]

it doesn't resemble the L. elegans in Graham's new book

Hi Arnold, thought I'd bring you up to date concerning the plant photos I posted in reply #171. I've had it confirmed that the plant is in fact L. pustulata or L. unicolor. Actually, that should read 'was L. pustulata/unicolor' because, as you noted in your list, both these species are now classified as Lachenalia pallida. It's an unfortunate name given the vivid and rather nice flower colour on my plant! But I think the reasoning behind the name change is clearly explained in Graham Duncan's new book. Now, where's my marker pen...

[ArnoldT]

Steve:

Thanks for the follow up note.

No matter the name it is an attractive little plant.

[Ezeiza]

Live in luxury with your lousy papers or get a real job, Rogan.