Oxalis question

diana chapman rarebulbs@earthlink.net
Thu, 26 Sep 2002 17:33:33 PDT
Hello Uli:

I have got seed from Oxalis obtusa, O. commutata and O. comosa.  I should
emphasize though that I have many different clones of each of these species.
I haven't noticed seed on any of my other oxalis (about 250 taxa, maybe
more).  I don't WANT seed production, so I have moved the different clones
to different places so they can't pollinate each other.  The worst thing in
an oxalis collection is getting contamination of your pots by seed dropping
in nearby containers.  I very carefully watch for seed pods, but they can
pop before you know it!  I have never found any hybridization.  I have
different colors of O. obtusa showing up, though.  Michael Vassar thought
that the color in O. obtusa is unstable and can change from one year to
another, but I wonder if it's from seedlings?  My O. obtusa certainly change
their intensity of color according to weather conditions, and, for the most
part, are a bit more intense here with lower light than they were in the
much brighter sunnier winters of the interior of California.

Diana



More information about the pbs mailing list