December 2024

[Too Many Plants!]

Another exciting new addition to our SA Garden from last year's BX! Planted Dec 2023...these guys are little- planted in ground in a 6" net pot for scale. I guess I don't know if and how much bigger they can/will get with time and growth. @Robin Jangle  ?

Gethyllis Linearis

And another, Thank You! To the generous Bulb peeps that share the Love in our BX's and SX's...

[Anonymized User]

That looks more like an Albuca or similar.

Gethyllis linearis has narrow ribbon-like leaves whereas those are hemiterete and grooved at the base.

[CG100]

G. linearis is very early into growth here - it needs no water to show growth. Here the leaves are randomly wavy rather than coiled, no doubt due to our low light levels 

[Carlos]

Hi

I started with Gethyllis, here the Oligophylla

[Too Many Plants!]

That looks more like an Albuca or similar.

Gethyllis linearis has narrow ribbon-like leaves whereas those are hemiterete and grooved at the base.

Well, I got them as G. Linearis ?, fm a couple BX's ago. I thought the ? mark was indicating they weren't 100% sure on Linearis as the species. It will be the BX that shipped bulbs later in 2023 as I planted them a bit after I got them- Dec 2023.

Maybe the gifter of those bulbs could opine...? Below is the BX info, and bulb "gifter". Wondering if the moderator @David Pilling could send them a note?

US BX 493
Arcangelo Wessells
142 Gethyllis, likely linearis

[CG100]

I had a detailed look at mine here this morning and although impossible to be sure, the leaves look very similar. I haven't stretched-out a leaf but suspect that they are 15-20cm long.

They have yet to flower here, but came from a very reliable source, so I have no doubts over their identity.

If I can remember to take a pic' of the Trachyandra for you, I'll do the same for the Gethyllis at the same time.

[Too Many Plants!]

I had a detailed look at mine here this morning and although impossible to be sure, the leaves look very similar. I haven't stretched-out a leaf but suspect that they are 15-20cm long.

They have yet to flower here, but came from a very reliable source, so I have no doubts over their identity.

If I can remember to take a pic' of the Trachyandra for you, I'll do the same for the Gethyllis at the same time.

Cool, Thanks! 

[Anonymized User]

@Too Many Plants! Whilst your plant is very possibly a Gethyllis, I would like to see more defining characters (not just leaves) and especially flowers to be sure.

What I can say is that it is not Gethyllis linearis.

This is Gethyllis linearis
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/128625433

[CG100]

Hassles of ID are generated by differing conditions in cultivation and comparing to habitat.

As mentioned, light levels in the UK are very poor compared to habitat - we have had several weeks of unusually cloudy, grey, miserable weather this autumn, even for the UK, and the one measurement that I took around midday a week or so ago should be representative - 2500-3000 lux, and inside a greenhouse it will be at least 30% lower.

The ilustration and photograph in The Amaryllidaceae of Southern Africa, both show tightly coiled leaves, as in the link provided by Robin Jangle, however, the leaf width is given as 1-3mm. I am unsure that leaf width would be/is affected by conditions in cultivation.

[Anonymized User]

@CG100 Two things:

The plant in the OP is growing in the full sun. It looks to be even sunnier than the habitat of most winter rainfall geophytes here in RSA.
So safe to say that foliage is not etiolated.

Gethyllis linearis is one of the more distinctive taxa in the genus. It occurs in a relatively small area and is easily recognised. The pics in Graham's book are of single plants. It is very rare to find single plants in habitat. The link I posted is typical. A single plant will look more tightly coiled.
The leaves in the OP are completely different to those of linearis. It is definitely not linearis.

[Martin Bohnet]

As you might notice, here are a few posts missing. We as Moderators /admins rarely intervene in discussions, but this was quickly escalating to a point where we don't want to go. Please keep discussions factual.

[Too Many Plants!]

As you might notice, here are a few posts missing. We as Moderators /admins rarely intervene in discussions, but this was quickly escalating to a point where we don't want to go. Please keep discussions factual.

Hi Martin, I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at. If I did something inappropriate, my apologies. Please let me know specifically what it was (should I have not posted the BX info?), and I will do my best to refrain from that. 

I'm not aware of "missing posts", maybe I didn't see them? I thought this was just a good discussion about a SA bulb that was acquired through our PBS BX...and possible re-identification.

Merry Christmas to all!

[Too Many Plants!]

@CG100 Two things:

The plant in the OP is growing in the full sun. It looks to be even sunnier than the habitat of most winter rainfall geophytes here in RSA.
So safe to say that foliage is not etiolated.

Hi Robin, could you be indicating my conditions are too sunny for some/many/most of my SA geophytes???

I appreciate your input. Thank you!

[Arnold]

Othonna gymnodiscus

Ferraria densepunctulata

[Too Many Plants!]

Othonna gymnodiscus

Ferraria densepunctulata

LOVE that Densepunctulata! I got that sp. in one of our recent BX's, but it has yet to pop out of the ground for me...fingers crossed.