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Hi, thanks for the comments.

I have not seen P. obtusifolia many times, the fruiting stalk is about 25 tall, quite more than the local autumnalis. Yes, last photo are the emerging leaves of an immature bulb. I can collect some seeds if you want to try it. 

Jane, what was circulating as Acis valentina was in fact Acis ionica, I think it is likely thet this is what you have unless you have a reliable source (like, say, me). 

And well, there is no Acis valentina in Africa, just tingitana and autumnalis, possibly trichophyllum but I am not sure. I think you meant autumnalis. 

Acis valentina is very very similar to ionica, and to nicaeensis, am even more rare plant from Nice and Monaco (cited from Monte Carlo, possibly still surviving in the little space left by the casino and luxury villas). Then there is Acis rosea from Corsica and Sardinia, but there is very scarce information on it, it seems to bloom in late spring.

I looked intermedia up and some consider it to be our local obtusifolia, so it would be Prospero obtusifolia subsp, intermedia. I have no African material (but will next year) and can't confirm or deny on this subject.

Regards

Carlos

Hi, it's that time of the year when Acis valentina can be caught in bloom, here some photos taken today. It grows with Prospero obtusifolium here, one of its few locations outside northern Africa. I can't tell the location of the site to protect the plants from poaching, you surely understand.

Some plants have more rounded tepals, more "snowdrop-like" (photos 3, 4, 6).

It is the only strict bulbous endemic in my region (Valencia region, eastern Spain), not really threatened, but only really easy to spot for 15-20 days, so it seems more rare.

 Carlos Jiménez

Hi, I have just decided to start a Calochortus collection. I think I have good conditions for most species outdoors (zone 10, autumn-spring rainfall with a decrease in December-February, eastern coast of Spain near sea level).

I know there are many members from California, where most species occur.

I am interested in botanical taxa, with field data whenever possible (also Zephyranthes and Tigridia).

I can offer seeds of most species in Narcissus, or sometimes bulbs (within the EU). Also several rhizomatous Iris and some in subgenus (or genus) Xiphion, several euro-Asian Allium, Prospero (Scilla), Urginea undulata, Lapiedra martinezii, Acis valentina, Oncostema (Scilla peruviana group), Colchicum bulbocodium (=Bulbocodium vernum), Sternbergia (only EU for the moment)....

I am starting to water my pots but I have plenty of things still in paper bags, so if anyone is interested please feel free to tell me what you are looking for.

Thanks

Carlos

Hi, I have been after Urginea undulata from different sources, as I strongly believe there are still unnamed taxa (I want to start 'serious' botany).

A friend worked for some years in Algeria (I prefer not to reveal where exactly) and brought this plant. Sorry about the quality.

What we have her eis a plant with ciliated leaves and whitish flowers with a darker midstripe, but what has been typifiued as undulata is a plant woth smooth leaf margins and pink-salmon flowers.

I am stunend by this plant, does anyone have something similar?

I have recently been given one bulb from a Tunisian population which I've been told by a Dutch collector that is different from the Iberian / Sardinian plants, but it has not flowered nor sent out any leaves.

Opinions and photographs are welcome (and seeds or bulbs for exchange).

Carlos

note: the palnts in Israel have been named Drimia palaestina, they are closer to our plants. Then there is an obscure plant from Tunisia called Drimia ollivieri, but I don't know how it looks like. Finally, Moroccan plants have been named Drimia serotina, synonym Urginea tazensis. I haven't seen them either.

Hi, I don't write much, but as summer ends and plants resume activity, so will I.

For those who don't know about me, I live on the eastern Spanish coast (Spain), we don't have a specialy high bulb diversity but we have Drimia undulata, Acis valentina, Lapiedra martinezii...

Anyway I have been interested on Urginea / Drimia for a while. What is known and grown in California as Urginea maritima is not the true species, which is a hexaploid (2n=60) with whitish bulbs reaching about 15 cm only.

The massive bulbs with brick-red outer coats belong in Urginea numidica, a tetraploid which occurs mostly on the eastern Mediterranean, mainly Greek islands (except Cyprus and Rhodes I think), also on the Balearics, possibly Malta and the tiny Lampedusa island, probably also Pantelleria.

Then there is a diploid with white bulbs alsop, U. pancration, which frows from the Balearics (mainly Menorca) to Greece, including Sardinia, Sicily and Malta.

More to the east it is replaced by still anothere species, U. aphylla, which is present on the Turkish coast and islands, Cyprus (and Rhodes?) and Levant coast probably reaching Egypt, wher hybrids with numidica have been reported.

Then to the west there is U. maura, of which there is almost no information (but is sold by Oron Peri), and in southern Morocco and the Canaries there is another tetraploid, Urginea hesperia.

There are still two more poorly known species, one is Urginea anthericoides from the central-eastern Algerian coast, and D. secundiflora from near Rabat, Morocco.

One has to swap from Drimia to Urginea because most taxa have been named as a species in one genus, but a subspecies in another.

I have some of them and I look forward to write an article on the group.

Carlos

Hi, Randy, nice to read you, those are Biarum arundanum....