South African species (I'm fairly certain) ?...first flowering

[Too Many Plants!]

I've had this growing in my garden for years now, FINALLY flowering! And years later I can't find a tag 😒

Ok. I've been looking around through my purchase history with no luck, but seem to remember buying a couple of Brunsvigia. I started looking through Brunsvigia and found B. Josephinae which has blue strap leaves, and the flowers look like they could be lining up in terms of form.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Robin Jangle]

You are most likely correct.

I have never seen B. josephinae foliage like that though I'm sure there are some regional variations. All the plants I've seen in habitat (only in the Western Karoo mind you) all had broad green leaves - a few with a slight glaucous bloom.

The bulb and inflorescence look spot on for B. josephinae.

[Robin Jangle]

And I forgot to add: the leaves were broad 7cm+. That's the other thing about your plant - the foliage is very narrow. But as mentioned above I've only seen plants from one part of their distribution range so there could very well be geographic variation.

[CG100]

Duncan describes B. josephinae as slow to flower from seed - 12-14 years, leaves 11-20cm wide and distichous (as are all species - distichous?), so that isn't a fit.

Best fit from Duncan would be grandiflora - a summer-grower.

Once a flower opens, guesses might be a bit easier.

[Robin Jangle]

To the best of my knowledge no Brunsvigia has distichous foliage. And the pics don't show distichous foliage.

It's most likely a Brunsvigia - I'm not sure which species as I've not observed foliage like that.

[CG100]

To the best of my knowledge no Brunsvigia has distichous foliage.

So Graham Duncan is telling stories and all the illustrations in "Anaryllidaceae" are wrong?

All the plants here are aberrant too?

[Too Many Plants!]

To the best of my knowledge no Brunsvigia has distichous foliage.

So Graham Duncan is telling stories and all the illustrations in "Anaryllidaceae" are wrong?

All the plants here are aberrant too?

Robin is far more knowledgeable than I am, but I'm inclined to agree with her. I've seen many Brunsvigia in person and not one I've seen had Distichous foliage, nor do I remember pics like that on the web being predominant. I'm fairly confident I bought this as a Brunsvigia, as well as other Brunsgivia (that I'm not certain still exist in my garden). AND...the inflo I think looks correct for Brunsgivia. I'm also fairly certain I purchased B. Josephinae as it had some of best red flowers of the species available in the US (at the time).

[Too Many Plants!]

And I forgot to add: the leaves were broad 7cm+. That's the other thing about your plant - the foliage is very narrow. But as mentioned above I've only seen plants from one part of their distribution range so there could very well be geographic variation.

I think that is a deceptive picture, and a few years old (Nov 14, 2020) as I couldn't find a more recent picture. The leaves are bigger and fuller now. This plant's leaves I'd estimate are wide similar to my wider leaved mature flowering Boophone. 

[Robin Jangle]

@CG100 I do not have Graham's book at hand for reference, however I can't imagine that he would say Brunsvigia have distichous leaves. Boophane has distichous leaves. Clivia has distichous leaves. Maybe you read that a synapomorphy of Amaryllidaceae is that the leaves are distichous in the neck of the bulb? Brunsvigia leaves are distichous in the neck - in fact they have amongst the more laterally compressed necks of any of the Amaryllidaceae (along with Crossyne) but once they emerge the leaf pattern is most certainly not distichous. Refer to especially pictures of B. josephinae foliage in the PBS wiki.

@Too Many Plants! I think you are correct: B. josephinae is the best fit.

[CG100]

@Robin Jangle  I do have the book, I do not have to imagine - 

Bosmaniae, comptonii, elandsmontana, grandiflora, gregaria, herrei, josephinae, litoralis, marginata, orientalis, pulchra, striata, undulata, are all quoted as being distichous.

That said, not all illustrations show them to be so.

[Robin Jangle]

@CG100 as I said - the leaves in the neck are distichous however they radiate when above ground. So yes the leaves are distichous for a small portion and the majority is not distichously orientated.
When I hear or read distichous I see oppositely opposed leaves like the pages of a book.
Having seen almost all Brunsvigia in habitat I can vouch that just like Crossyne the foliage is distichous in the neck and thereafter radiates outwards at various angles to the neck and are no longer oppositely opposed.

[CG100]

What is it?

To the best of my knowledge no Brunsvigia has distichous foliage

I do not have Graham's book at hand for reference, however I can't imagine that he would say Brunsvigia have distichous leaves.

as I said - the leaves in the neck are distichous

[Robin Jangle]

It's whatever you want it to be.

If you had a look at the pic of B. josephinae from Matjiesfontein and concluded that it displays distichous foliage..... well then it is what ever you want it to be

[Ron]

I have never noticed leaves that were distichous in the neck, but spreading above there, but that picture of the leaves certainly looks like what I would expect.  Leaves fill the upper and lower quadrant, with none in the side quadrants.

[Robin Jangle]

If you lift a bulb in full leaf and cut through the neck you will see that the leaves are opposed in two ranks - think a closed book but with a clearly visible plane down the center. (I saw this last week when cable installers cut through several large Brunsvigia orientalis whilst trenching)