Merenderas

DrR Hamilton robhamilton@trump.net.au
Tue, 30 Jul 2002 19:04:52 PDT
Hi  all,

As Mary Sue  says  they are really like  small  Colchicum  with a  couple of
differences  -  no  perianth tube  and  3  styles. They  seem  to  grow as
easily as Cochicum  - I  grow them  in  standard  potting  mix.

I  grow  the  common  M montanum  which  has   rosy  lilac  flowers which
open  to  lay  flat  on the  ground -  its  about  5cm  accross when  fully
open in the  sun. It  flowers in  autumn  and  its  blooms are very  tasty
to  slugs and  snails.

The  other  I  grow was  obtained at  M eichleri  from a  seed distribution.
The corm  is  a  very much enlonagted stolon like  structure  2-3 mm wide
and up to  5cm  long.  Very  easily  broken at  digging or  repotting.  It
has the  typical  top and  bottom of a  colchicum  corm. On  doing  my
homework  I  find that  Brian  Mathew  says that M sobolifera is the  only
species  with a stolon-like  corm -  so this  is  apparently  what  I  have.
It  has  small creamy white  flowers with lilac tips  to the  petals on the
only  flower I  have  this  year. It  is  in flower at this  time .

Like  Lyn says  if there  were more  avaiable  I  would  grow them. (But I
guess you could  say that  about almost  any  bulb genera.)


Rob

Dr R F Hamilton, 7 Beach Road, Snug 7054
Tasmania, Australia
Temperate Marine Climate (USDA 8/9)
Average Garden Rainfall 26.7 inches- fairly evenly  spread (range 21-36)
Temperature extremes -2 C  ,  38 C.


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