Day of the Themids

Lee Poulsen wpoulsen@pacbell.net
Sat, 13 Jun 2015 16:44:56 PDT
Thanks for the good word on Themids, Jane. Can I add that for those in milder climates there are some Mexican Themids that are also worth trying, one of the prettiest ones being Bessera elegans, from which the usual one sold is an orangey-red color. There is also a striking purple one, and Diana of Telos has had some nice pinky-crimson ones. But there are also some others such as Dandya, Petronymphe, and several Milla species that are really pretty, including a rare Milla that Dylan Hannon sometimes offers. There is a native midwestern Themid, Androstephium caeruleum, which I have never seen nor have I been able to find seeds offered, even though it supposedly grows as far south as my native Central Texas. And there is a rare genus, Jaimehintonia, which sounds really interesting, but I haven't seen it. I also haven't seen Behria, but a number of people have seen it in the wild in the southern Baja California peninsula.

--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a
Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m

On Jun 13, 2015, at 2:58 PM, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> wrote:

> It is mid-June, so here is my annual recommendation that bulb fanciers use more members of the family Themidaceae in their gardens. This recent name refers to Brodiaea, Triteleia, Dichelostemma, and a few other American genera formerly in Alliaceae, and before that in Liliaceae. Fortunately they got their own family in time to avoid being tossed into Amaryllidaceae.
> 




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