Hi Mary Sue, I did some checking of Flora references today for information about changes to the status of Calostemma species. There is a very brief treatment given to Calostemma in the Flora of NSW Vol 4, and the Flora of Western NSW. Each only reference their information to that provided in 'The Flora of Australia" Vol 45 1987, Hydatellaceae to Liliaceae, in the write up by Ian Telford pp 382-383 on Calostemma. This particular Volume had 36 contributors - so expertise in these plant families tended to be fairly narrowly based. Ian Telford actually states that on page 382 that 'the two species are maintained here although they may represent colour variants of a single species. Variation in the genus requires investigation. The seeds are apparently bulbils as in Proiphys.....' I havent found any evidence that the investigation signalled in Vol 45, has been carried out as there are no references to any other authority or paper after this date. In fact other Flora's - that of South Australia and Central Australia have retained the determination of two species. A really informative article on Calostemma purpureum by Robert Gibson in Vol 21, No. 171 (June 2002) of 'Australian Plants' , only references Flora of Australia Vol 45, and the Flora of NSW Vol 4. It is however instructive to read the descriptions given and research the geographical distributions of both species in Vol 45, the fresh field information given by Robert Gibson and identify herbarium collection sites via the NAPI. I believe both authors provide sufficient reasons to really consider them as separate species. The really fantastic revelation provided by Robert Gibson is the colour variations found in the separate species and the hybrid colour forms found in the few locations where outlyer populations exist in close proximity. Rob Hamilton and I about a month ago discussed the remakable differences in the bulbs of C. luteum and C. purpureum that we grow, which is like comparing a dumpy jonquil like bulb with another that has an long elongated neck that extends to ground level and drops to the bottom of the pot. Perhaps an appreciation of their natural habitats may explain these adaptations. Rober Gibson writes ..' Calostemma is endemic to eastern Australia, particularly within the Murray - Darling Basin, extending to the southern Mt Lofty ranges (South Aust) and scattered populations in central South Australia. For many decades the genus was treated as having two species: the yellow flowered Calostemma luteum primarily in the Darling River basin and the purple flowered C. purpureum in the southern and western part of the range. The former commonly occurs in deep clays on floodplains and is larger in almost all parts to the purple flowered form............The most widespread form has yellow flowers and grows in heavy clay soils on the floodplains..........rare plants in the flood plains have diffuse purple pigmentation on the tepal exterior............ ....purple flowered plants (purpureum) occur on ridges and commonly exhibit a great range in flower colouration....... The most common forms have either dark or mid purple tepals with a yellow corona marked basally by six maroon stripes... Robert Gibson outlines the lovely colour variants found and those of the hybrid swarms found where both the yellow and purple forms grow in close proximity. In reading this article and that of Ian Telford, I am struck by the fact that we are taking about two distinctive geographical races - and that the investigation into the variation in the genus mentioned by Ian Telford has not yet been done. The pictures of colour forms found in the genus in Robert Gibsons article are simply astounding and I recommend that everyone interested in this genus in Australia read the article. Cheers Jim Lykos Mary Sue Ittner wrote: Dear All, I believe Dash may know Robert Gibson who wrote the article in Australian Plants about Calostemma. Maybe he would be a source for some of these beautiful plants. Gibson doesn't really say who decided they were variants, not separate species. He does have a reference to the Flora of New South Wales (Harden and Frischknecht), Vol. 4, page 107 if some of you have it and want to look it up. (1993) There are some very attracitve ones in the Australian Plants article. There is just a tiny one of the white one, but it looks pretty too so Paul you'll have to go back or Lyn and take its picture too. Paul gave me permission to put his pictures on the pbs wiki so I have done that. Paul, edit it if you don't like what I said. I took it from the article and your posts. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… Mary Sue