I wanted to mention a couple of things. First, a huge thank-you to Colin for sharing those offsets. As far as I know, L. sargeantii has been almost unknown in cultivation. Sometimes collectors find it tempting to hoard something rare, or to sell it at a very exclusive price rather than giving it away. I'm not trying to judge anybody, and I'm not criticizing the nurseries that sell plants at accessible prices. But I feel like we're ultimately custodians of the things we grow, rather than owners, and I think it's important to make sure they get into circulation. Second, the mystery of what motivates this species to grow will be a great one for all of us to explore together. Thanks to Colin's generosity, it's going to be grown in a variety of conditions with different weather patterns, growing habits, etc. Let's share information on what we learn. To get us all started, here's a little bit of info... --I had the opportunity to try a few L. sargeantii offsets last year, and my experience was just like Colin's. Most of the offsets didn't sprout at all, and I thought I had killed them. Then a few shocked me by sprouting in early March (September for those of you in the southern hemisphere). They kept growing until July, when they gradually went dormant. I don't know if they went dormant naturally at that time, or if the pot got too dry for them. It's hard to keep a pot wet here in July. Diana, I kept watering mine all winter. The ones that sprouted were in heavy sun, and came up much later than most of my other bulbs. --The McMasters have posted a very interesting article on the discovery of the second known population of this species: http://www.africanbulbs.com/page29.html They also sent a note about it to the PBS list: http://goo.gl/tP377O/ The article says they were found on a sandstone ridge near Napier. Checking the climate maps on the wiki, the high ground around Napier is in what I call zone E3, an area that can get more than half an inch of rain a month in the summer. The other location where the bulb is found is near Bredasdorp, which averages 3/4 of an inch of rain (19mm) in its driest summer month. For those of you who know California, a roughly comparable rainfall pattern is Eureka (although Eureka is actually drier). The difference is that Bredasdorp averages about 79F (26C) high temperatures in summer, whereas Eureka averages 64F (18C). The US doesn't have an exact match for this pleasant climate type, but probably you'd come closest if you found a hillside inland from Eureka that's high enough to be above the fog belt but low enough that it wouldn't freeze in winter. In Europe, parts of western coastal Sardinia come close to this climate pattern. In South Africa, the plants grow on the northern side of their hillside, meaning they get a lot of sun, but are sheltered from the local winds (which reportedly blow off the ocean in the south). Anyway, it's not surprising to me that in captivity the bulbs keep growing well into the summer if you water them. That's the sort of climate they're adapted to. I'm hoping Cameron and Rhoda may share some additional tidbits about the species. --There seems to be general agreement that the species flowers heavily in the wild only after its area has been burned. --Kirstenbosch posted an article on the species confirming some of Colin's experience (namely that the species will grow and offset in captivity, but won't bloom). There are some very helpful details on the best soil and watering schedule, but since Kirstenbosch can't make it bloom, I think we shouldn't view anyone's advice as the definitive "right" answer. http://goo.gl/FYo0In/ Thanks, Colin!! Mike San Jose, CA