Polianthes query

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net
Fri, 09 Jul 2004 07:11:52 PDT
Dear All:

A year or two ago I purchased a plant labeled Manfreda virginica at a plant
sale here in the Washington, D.C. area. I've been on the lookout for
interesting forms of Manfreda virginica for several years, and I now have
several. 

The plant in question bloomed this week and I'm puzzled. What is it? It's
not Manfreda virginica. The scape is about two feet high, the flower buds
resemble those of tuberoses, the flowers are jade green and recurve like
lilies, and the stamens do not exceed the length of the petals by much if
at all. The foliage is about eight inches long, narrowish (half-inch or so)
and unspotted.

One big disappointment: they have no good scent that I can detect; in fact,
they have a vaguely disreputable scent. I even got up in the middle of the
night to check the scent - nothing good, then, either. 

Conroe Joe recently posted a link to Manfreda flowers: the one blooming
here does not look like any of the ones shown there.

Evidently it's a species of Polianthes (which some are treating as Agave);
can anyone tell me which one from the description given?

Incidentally, this plant, whatever it is, has survived one winter and maybe
two outside in an unheated, leaky cold frame.   

I'll try to post a photo later.

Jim McKenney
jimmckenney@starpower.net
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I'm a bit disappointed
that my "jade lily" has turned out to be a bit of a stinker. 


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