South African Bulbs 2013

[ashley]

Michael, your Moraea arisata is always a sight to behold
I like the gladiolus too. 

[Ezeiza]

Ashley, the quality of these plants Michael and Darren grow is superb. AND, with such low light levels! They are really great growers.

[Tony Willis]

A couple of gladiolus

Gladiolus tristis from DaveyP
Gladiolus uysiae from IBSA

[bulborum]

Good pics Tony
No gladiolus here in flower
one year to wait

Roland

[arillady]

Tony is that really a Gladiolus? love the strangeness of it.

[arillady]

Michael you do grow some interesting bulbs - that strange Gladi and the arisata.

[SJW]

Plants from Kirstenbosch seed labelled Lachenalia elegans. Am I right in thinking it is L. elegans var. elegans? Grateful for an ID, thanks.

[ArnoldT]

Hi Steve:

Great looking plant, it doesn't resemble the L. elegans in Graham's new book. His image has the flower stem purple.

Can't see the leaves which are described as "1-2, lanceolate, 60-115 x 9-25 mm, suberect, light green with depressed longitududinal grooves, canaliculate upper surface plain leaf margin thickened, purplish-maroon, leaf bases clasping, 5-35 mm long, white in lower portion, light green to dark green or maroon above."

He has the scape as maroon.

He also has no L. elegans var. elegans.

[Michael J Campbell]

Gladiolus carinatus is my favourite Roland

Michael, your Moraea arisata is always a sight to behold
I like the gladiolus too.

Ashley, the quality of these plants Michael and Darren grow is superb. AND, with such low light levels! They are really great growers.

Michael you do grow some interesting bulbs - that strange Gladi and the arisata.

Thanks folks, I do my best but sometimes it is not good enough.

[Michael J Campbell]

Moraea tulbagensis ( neopavonia.)

[SJW]

Hi Arnold, thanks for the really useful information. I must treat myself to a copy of the new Duncan book!

it doesn't resemble the L. elegans in Graham's new book. His image has the flower stem purple.

He also has no L. elegans var. elegans

I suppose there must have been quite a few reclassifications going on? I'm still using his Lachenalia Handbook. This lists four varieties of L. elegans including var. elegans, which is described as the typical variety. Annoyingly, it is also the only one for which a photograph isn't included . As my plant doesn't look anything like the other three varieties that are illustrated, I'd assumed I had var. elegans. The flower description also seemed to fit: ...oblong-urceolate, sub-erect flowers; the outer perianth segments are bright blue at the base, shading to rose and have brown gibbosities, while the protruding inner segments are white with a pale pink spot near the tips. Thereagain, I've also just read that L. elegans has sessile flowers whereas the flowers on my plant do have short pedicels (subspicate)...on the other hand, inflorescence type is not always constant. So, basically, I dunno!

It's not really important, I can enjoy the flowers for what they are without knowing which species it is (it is always nice to know though, isn't it ). It does become more important though if I donate to the SRGC seedex. Getting the species name wrong is embarrassing for the donor and irritating for the recipient! So, I'd be happy to receive any further thoughts from forum members on the correct ID. Thanks.

[ArnoldT]

Steve:

I can tell you that many of the names in his original book have been changed.

Here's a list that was provided by a member of he PBS.



Lachenalia name changes

Old name = new name

L aloides var aloides = L aloides
L aloides var aurea = L flava
L aloides var luteola = L luteola
L aloides var quadricolor = L quadricolor
L aloides var vanzyliae = L vanzyliae
L aloides from Summerfield as 'Piketberg' = L callista
L aloides from ?? = L thunbergii
L bulbifera = bifolia
L elegans var elegans = L elegans
L elegans var flava = L karoopoortensis
L elegans var membranacea = L membranacea
L elegans var suaveolens = L suaveolens
L esterhuysenae = L juncifolia
L gilletii = L pallida
L juncifolia var campanulata = L magentea
L mediana var mediana = L mediana subsp mediana
L mediana var rogersii = L mediana subsp rogersii
L muirii = sessiliflora
L pustulata = L pallida
L rubida = punctata
L unifolia var schlechteri = L schlechteri
L unifolia var wrightii = L wrightii
Polyxena calcicola = L calcicola
P corymbosa = L corymbosa
P ensifolia = L ensifolia subsp ensifolia
P maughanii = L ensifolia subsp maughanii
P longituba = L longituba
P paucifolia = L paucifolia
P pygmaea = L pygmaea
 

[Ezeiza]

The hardest thing to swallow is Polyxena merged into Lachenalia

[ArnoldT]

Alberto:

I know.  I had them flower and they look nothing like each other.

What's the basis for this?

[arillady]

Michael what a lovely sunny flower.