Merenderas
DrR Hamilton (Tue, 30 Jul 2002 19:04:52 PDT)

Hi all,

As Mary Sue says they are really like small Colchicum with a couple of
differences - no perianth tube and 3 styles. They seem to grow as
easily as Cochicum - I grow them in standard potting mix.

I grow the common M montanum which has rosy lilac flowers which
open to lay flat on the ground - its about 5cm accross when fully
open in the sun. It flowers in autumn and its blooms are very tasty
to slugs and snails.

The other I grow was obtained at M eichleri from a seed distribution.
The corm is a very much enlonagted stolon like structure 2-3 mm wide
and up to 5cm long. Very easily broken at digging or repotting. It
has the typical top and bottom of a colchicum corm. On doing my
homework I find that Brian Mathew says that M sobolifera is the only
species with a stolon-like corm - so this is apparently what I have.
It has small creamy white flowers with lilac tips to the petals on the
only flower I have this year. It is in flower at this time .

Like Lyn says if there were more avaiable I would grow them. (But I
guess you could say that about almost any bulb genera.)

Rob

Dr R F Hamilton, 7 Beach Road, Snug 7054
Tasmania, Australia
Temperate Marine Climate (USDA 8/9)
Average Garden Rainfall 26.7 inches- fairly evenly spread (range 21-36)
Temperature extremes -2 C , 38 C.