BX 4

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Thu, 22 Aug 2002 16:52:37 PDT
Dear All,

I am wondering if we wouldn't all benefit if the donors of the seed could 
tell us a little about their offerings. I know on seed exchanges I am often 
hooked by descriptions. This may be too much to ask since I know all too 
well it is already time consuming to save and clean seed and then to mail 
it so everyone can share in it.

My four seed are all from winter growing South African plants.

10. Lachenalia elegans var. suaveolens
This was the first year this one bloomed from me. I had it in two pots. One 
came from seed that was supposed to be something else, but I am sure was 
incorrectly named. Both Dirk and I grew the same seed and decided 
independently what is was. He used to have a picture of it on his web page, 
but no longer. There is a picture in the IBS gallery, but it is a bit dark. 
The flowers are pale blue at the base with dark maroon on the edges. It 
bloomed in March and April.

11. Lachenalia carnosa
I admired this one so much in South Africa that I was very pleased to get 
it from the IBS BX and Mark Mazer. It bloomed in Feb and March here in 
Northern California and is pictured in the IBS gallery.

12. Hesperantha erecta
This is a small white flowered Hesperantha that grows and blooms quickly 
from seed and opens early afternoon. I think it is cute, but since it has 
tiny cormlets attached to the major corm, if you reuse the soil you may 
find you have this plant in other places.

13. Hesperantha cucullata (opens early afternoon)
On the IBS forum I have preached how seed of Hesperantha cucullata is often 
found masquerading as Hesperantha falcata. I have also grown seeds that 
were supposed to be H. pauciflora and H. inflexa that turned out to be 
cucullata. All but one of the clones I grew from different seed sources 
opened almost at dusk, were fragrant, and did their thing at night and 
closed by morning. This one grown from seed given by Wayne Roderick 
resembled more closely ones we saw in Nieuwoudtville that opened about 1 or 
2 p.m. and are suffused with pink. (and pink on the back). It is my 
favorite of the lot even though not fragrant. Perhaps since it opens 
earlier it did not need the fragrance to attract pollinators. I tried to 
keep these separated from the others, but don't know if the plants from 
this seed will be the same. This is another quick one from seed. It usually 
blooms in the 2nd year if you have a long enough growing season.

Mary Sue 


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