I hope I'm not breaking any of the rules of the list or of the list's host by forwarding this message from Osmani. He asked me if I would forward it to the lists he is not on, if I thought it was appropriate. Since I know how desirable, but difficult to obtain, native Chilean bulbs are, I thought there would be others on this list who would want to know about this offer, especially since as Osmani also says, Flores & Watson, the only other regular source of Chilean natives, are not offering anything this year. --Lee Poulsen Pasadena area, California, USDA Zone 9-10 ============================================================ Here is part of an intro Osmani posted to another list. (I've tried to get him to sign up for PBS): <<My name is Osmani Baullosa. I´m 31 years old and live in Santiago, Chile. The city where I live is in the central region of this country and enjoys a nice Mediterranean climate. Please note English is not my native language, but spanish. I´m journalist and work for the National Comission of Scientific and Technological Research. I grow bulbs in my backyard, some of which are: Chilean native and endemic bulbous plants: Alstroemeria pelegrina (with flowers in this moment) and 4 other species that are about to flower for the first time in my backyard. Leucocoryne of various species, blooming now too. Phycella scarlatina, Phycella ignea (with seeds). They look a little like Rhodophialas Rhodophiala advena, and other winter and spring growing species, which are starting to loose their leaves now. Also Rhodophiala splendens. Traubia modesta. This species is in great danger of extinction. It´s perhaps the littlest of southern Amarillidaceae. I hope "ex situ" cultivation can help avoiding extinction. Tristagma sp. Little too, white, with very nice smell. Oziröe biflora. Belongs to the only genus of South American Hyacinthaceae Trichopetalum plumosum Pasithea caerulea Etc. The other things I have, belong to more "commercial" genuses: Amarillis, Agapanthus, Chlidanthus, Crinum, Crocosmia, Freesia, Hemerocallis, Hippeastrum, Hyacinthoides, Hyacinthus, Ipheion, Iris, Lilium, Massonia, Muscari, Narcissus, Nerines, Ornithogalum, Oxalis, Polianthes, Scilla, Sparaxis, Sprekelia, Tigridia, Tulipa, Zephyranthes, etc... I only grow bulbous plants, at least by now. There is not much info available on the Internet now, and almost nothing at all in Chile: no good books or magazines, no specialists. Besides, there are not well-supplied nurseries, so I already have almost all the commercial species one could find in this country. In Chile, by the way, not too many people find that growing bulbs it´s interesting. Then the market is still reduced, except for the cut flowers or arrangements. I´m also a photographer and have hundreds of pics taken to my own bulbs and also to those in the wild.>> ============================================================ Begin forwarded message: > From: Osmani Baullosa <osmani_baullosa@yahoo.com> > Date: December 6, 2004 6:18:23 AM PST > To: Australian_Bulbs@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [Australian_Bulbs] Chilean seeds offer > > Dear all, > > I want to share with you some ideas that have been on my mind for > sometime. I guess this will be of interest to you, and that you might > want to participate in this project. In fact, this has been suggested > to me, in part, by some forum members. > > Because my garden in the city is running out of space, it’s time that > I look towards creating a new garden where I can conserve the > virtually expiring treasures of Chilean native bulbs. I need to > accumulate sufficient funds in order to do so, and one method I can > use is to offer for trade, or sale, seeds including (but not limited > to) these native bulbous plants. > > I´m trying to conceive some other ways to get financial resources. > This might be just one. But for now, I still have only intentions. > > What I want to offer you, is not only helping me, but also taking the > chance to enjoy this marvelous plants in your own garden. I don´t > expect donations, I just want to trade. > > I know that traditional sources of Chilean native bulbous´ seeds, such > as Flores & Watson, will not be made availability this season. Then, > my offer will be a prominent alternative source for those seeds. > I´ve heard their list is huge. My list could in your opinion contain > seeds equally as interesting as those found on the Flores & Watson > list. > > Because it is harvest time I need to know your requests now even > though I don’t have a full account of all available species nor seed > quantities. Regretfully requests received in a few weeks most likely > will not be met (not available). > > Please note: I have not these seeds at home yet. I would have to make > some trips to get them, since I know the place where the plants are. > It´s a long trip, in some cases, and I will not do it if you are not > interested in the seeds. (Please, check the list in file attached) [I > appended the text only.] > > Once I have received your requests, there´s something else to be done, > before I trip: I have never seen Flores & Watson list; I´m afraid some > of the seeds I want to offer have not been sold before, or often. For > all of them, the price should still be determined. > > Of course, there are many details to be cleared, besides prices: > trading ways, payment tools, etc… > > Anyway, the first thing to be cleared, I suppose, is: are you really > interested inthaving some of this species in your own garden? > > Best regards, > > Osmani > ============================================================ ➢ Leucocoryne purpurea ➢ Leucocoryne coquimbensis ➢ Leucocoryne ixioides ➢ Alstroemeria cummingiana ➢ Alstroemeria pulchra ➢ Placea arzae ➢ Rhodophiala bagnoldii ➢ Rhodophiala advena ➢ Phycella ignea