Jan van den Berg asked, >I am trying to make a collection of all Triteleia. >Who can help me with T. Hendersoni and other rare varieties? The best sources are: Telos Rare Bulbs (bulbs only) <rarebulbs@earthlink.net> and Ron Ratko Northwest Native Seeds (seeds only) <oreonana@mbay.net> I grow all the Triteleia species except the rare island species T. clementina and T. guadalupensis, and the poorly described T. lugens. I usually have bulbs of some species and forms for sale in summer. If Jan is planning to hybridize triteleias, I suggest that he get hold of the form of T. laxa informally known as 'Sierra Giant' or 'Mariposa Giant'. It is little known overseas, but its characteristic of very large size would be useful especially for cutflowers. This is not a clone, but a local variant growing especially in Mariposa County, California, and around the El Portal entrance to Yosemite National Park. When I first happened on it, I had no idea I was looking at T. laxa! It's about 3 times the size of the common T. laxa of lower-elevation fields, and has pale lavender instead of deep violet flowers. It grows in light woodland and I think in sites that have a little extra moisture in spring. Triteleias are very easy to grow from seed, flowering in the third year from sowing. Some species increase fast vegetatively, but others are slow. Most of them flower late in the bulb season, in late spring to early summer. They're best planted among leafier plants for support. The individual flowers tend to open in succession over a long period. Two commercial clones are available in the mass market: T. ixioides 'Starlight' and T. laxa 'Queen Fabiola'. The Robinett selection T. ixioides 'High Sierra' is brighter yellow than 'Starlight' but has fewer flowers in the inflorescence. The Robinett selection 'Humboldt Star' has larger flowers than 'Queen Fabiola', also deep violet, but doesn't increase as fast as the latter, at least for me. The species most likely to be widely adaptable (especially in colder regions) are T. grandiflora and T. hyacinthina, and both are quite showy when well grown. T. hyacinthina increases very fast by offsets and self-sows. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon