Eucomis

Rhoda and Cameron McMaster africanbulbs@haznet.co.za
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:13:13 PST
Joyce wrote:
" In the window of an office at the Berry Botanic Garden is a Eucomis 
scape that bloomed in 2008.  It is set in a glass of water.  The 
inflorescence is dessicated but it has now developed a growth that looks 
like a flower but is not a Eucomis flower.  Is this a bulbil?  "

Is the growth at the top end of the scape? When the seeds are ripe, the whole scape can usually be eased out from amongst the leaves without breaking (conserves its moisture). We often place the whole mature Eucomis inflorescence in a box in order to dry it and reap the seed. Very occasionally a little bulbil with tiny leaves forms in the 'topknot'  (coma) of leaflets - it takes about two months or longer, to develop. 

And as "drpaulbear" states, leaf cuttings usually produce bulbils too. I have tried layering the fleshy stem, but that hasn't worked yet.


Rhoda
in hot and dry Napier
but a beautiful pot of Cyrtanthus elatus hybrid (x montanus) in flower


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