Worsleya bloom

[Robin Jangle]

I am told that they are available/being propagated in RSA with one nursery which imported plants from Australia. I was not told, and did not ask, the price, although the implication was that it is large.

I only know of the few that I mentioned that are available in RSA. The Antipodean propagules were acquired by an American tissue culture lab - hence my comments re the cost etc.

As for bragging rights - the buyer of said imported goods - not the seller does so for bragging! People buy expensive treasures for bragging rights. The dealership doesn't do so for bragging rights, they're in it for profit, the buyer of the Lamborghini is in it for bragging rights.

No nursery in RSA is stocking ancient expensive bulbs for local sale. Nobody here would pay for it. The attitude is "I know where they grow". Only overseas Euros, dollars and Pounds pay for those.

[Carlos]

Hi

A Brazilian guy is offering seeds on Facebook, for those with the patience.  I have not asked the price as I won't be trying yet, maybe next year. 

[CG100]

Hi

A Brazilian guy is offering seeds on Facebook, for those with the patience.  I have not asked the price as I won't be trying yet, maybe next year.

 

[CG100]

No nursery in RSA is stocking ancient expensive bulbs

If only they were, they'd have found a good source of income, although how anyone could legally have on-going stock of ancient bulbs..............................

I have two modest but flowering size Boophone haemanthoides inported from RSA that, based on tunics, must be at least 30, probably 40 years old, possibly older. I am 99.999% sure that they were not wild dug any time close to recently.

As above, my very limited experience is that they come up for sale once in a while, presumably from collections dispersed on retirement/death within RSA, or perhaps rescues (as with tree ferns from Austalasia).

As for Worsleya - it seems my conact in RSA knows quite a bit...................................... and accurately so.

[Carlos]

I asked for the price.... $9 per seed... Still it is much less than £350 or ZAR8,000 for 10-12 seeds....

[CG100]

I asked for the price.... $9 per seed... Still it is much less than £350 or ZAR8,000 for 10-12 seeds...

That low.................................. I would question what the seed really is - it will take at least 3 years to have any idea what, if anything, the seed had produced.

(Seeds for unusual Clivia cultivars are around £3-4 (US$4-5) each in Europe.)

Unless I knew the seller well   

As we say here in the UK - "you only live once"...............................

Am I ever glad they they hold no appeal for me!!!!  LLLLLOL

[Phrbrock]

Carlos/CG100,

  I hesitate to respond to this thread because the last thread I responded to, rained down the wrath of the PBS gods on a subject I was 100% an authority on. I will address this in a couple of days because someone's personal opinion when your not up to date on things, makes you old and not up to date.
 I have purchased from this seller(20 seeds) in 2022 and got 100% germination rate. R.A. in Rio de Janerio ships to any country and his stock grows in his own back yard, not collected in the wild. Packaging is pretty ingenious and shipping to America is about 30 days. Not sure the travel time across the pond...

[Carlos]

Hi, yes, that's the guy. 

The question is always 'where did he get his mother plants'?... I'm of the opinion that if this will prevent poaching on wild stands, it's ok. And he sells several hundred seeds each year, from what I've seen.

I've bought seeds of Hippeastrum from Brazil and they reach Spain in 3-4 weeks, just inside a newspaper (Brazilian news are curious to see).

[Robin Jangle]

@CG100 If your contact is ZA is who I think it is then you are being bs'd.
As I mentioned previously: the only Worsleya plants here are from an import from the Frankfurt Palmengarten by Goswin Matthaei. He gave plants to Jim Holmes (of Cape Seed and Bulb). I saw Jim's plants in flower for the first time in 1996 at an IBSA monthly meeting.

In 2003 I visited Goswin and saw his plants. He told me that he gave Jim a plant many years previously and showed me all the other plants he brought in from the Palmengarten.

I acquired a batch of seedlings from him. I mentioned to your friend that I had acquired Worsleya seedlings and could supply them - they informed me that they were getting seeds from Alan Horstmann who had acquired them from Jim.

The seedlings never made it to the third season and I subsequently found out that if selfed they germinate and grow but don't survive long. That's how I knew there was only a single clone in ZA.

Jim through the years sold offsets to collectors with deep pockets. He recently disposed of his stock (I suspect that he has the original plants at home - he told me that he kept a small collection of treasures at his house). My friend acquired three - I am growing them for him. He also recently acquired seeds from the Americas - I never asked where.

And that my friend is the saga of Worsleya procera in ZA.

The Antipodean propagules were sold to Dragon Agro nursery in the States so I'm not sure how your friend is still acquiring them from Ozzy.

I will deal with the wild-collected bulbs in a separate topic as I believe it should be addressed to a wider audience.

[CG100]

I am told that they are available/being propagated in RSA with one nursery which imported plants from Australia. I was not told, and did not ask, the price, although the implication was that it is large.

As I mentioned previously: the only Worsleya plants here are from an import from the Frankfurt Palmengarten by Goswin Matthaei.

You should not quote without using quotes - you appeared to be to contradicting yourself.

The Antipodean propagules were sold to Dragon Agro nursery in the States so I'm not sure how your friend is still acquiring them from Ozzy.

The only person that I know of with the species, apart from via information posted here, is the UK importer (although I strongly suspect that they are still in the contry of origin, to be imported into the UK early in the new year). I have not claimed/do not claim to know of anyone with the species in RSA.

The "UK" bulbs are claimed to be flowering size and I would fully expect that to be the case.

They are actually sold out with the UK supplier, and as the new season stock has only been available to purchase for just a very few weeks, I would assume that the total number due to be imported, or which are currently sitting in the UK, whichever, was pretty small. (They do export, but the costs are large due to phyto' requirement, although they appear to sudsidise the cost.)

If you take a look at the links that I posted above, at least one person in Australia has at least one bulb for sale. and has what looks to be at least two flowering-sized plants, quite possibly all the same clone, we shall never know for sure......... (They appear to operate a nursery or they are a seriously enthusiastic hobbyist - they have sold 5400 items and they currently list only plants and seeds.)

[CG100]

Apologies @Phrbrock - a belated thanks for posting your experience/knowledge.

As above, I have no interest in the species, although growing pretty much anything from seed will never cease to please me, even lettuce.
Your informtaion should encourage people to get the species far better distributed in cultivation. For anything so very rare in habitat, that can be no bad thing whatsoever, at all.

@Carlos - go for it!!!!  :-)

[Carlos]

@Phrbrock I already spent a fortune on bulbs and seeds of Hippeastrum and bulbs from ZA. I might try next year.

I have not been to Brazil but I think that the plant is more inaccessible than rare. It seems to be thriving in its home cliffs.

[OrchardB]

I can recall importing seed from, I think, New Zealand, sometime last century, and grew them for some years. Too long ago to remember if I ever flowered them. All legal in those days.
Brian, UK

[KenP]

Here is the fifth and final bud open. Interesting the only insects on the flowers are fruit flies. I notice no scent. The pup is very compact and full of leaves. My other Worsleya a couple years till it blooms I hope.

[Carlos]

Very nice!!