Brunsvigia grandiflora

Angelo Porcelli angelopalm69@inwind.it
Wed, 03 Dec 2003 06:02:35 PST
I would add just few little comments to this topic.
About the seeds that were distribuited time ago, I got some and I was probably one of the latest to get them. 
They arrived in very precarious condition, being totally white and etiolated, over 2" long and with the radicle even dried. 
I though they would have died, however I potted them at least to give a worthy burial ! 
With my amazement, all them survived and are now growing very well, some having even three leaves. Note that the initial white long leaf died soon, but was quickly replaced from a green new one.
Temps here are still pretty warm and sun shines from long time. We don't get rain from a very long while now.

Reading Dirk's experience, it makes me to remember some problems happened to me on Amarygia, Amarcrinum and Haemathus coccineus sowing of last year. After a good germination and growth in winter and sping, all them went dormant in June. I didn't water them during summer at all and this has caused many bulbs to die for eccessive heat. Only the biggest bulbs have survived (abt 1cm or 1/2"), while the other appeared mummified (does exists this word?!) If I had watered them during summer, probably the roots would have remained alive. Also, a similar experience with a mature bulb of Haemanthus coccineus and Amaryllis belladonna in pots. The first flowered stunted, while the second at all. At a checking, I found most of the roots died, surely because I haven't watered them at all and the pots became well roasted in summer, being in full sun. On the other hands, several Nerine sarniensis hybrids, in pots left in shade during summer, have flowered very well. Plants in the ground are less susceptible to this, if not at all and got lovely flowering from all species. This contrasts the behaviour of most Mediterranean geophytes, because all these, with few exception , don't have permanent fleshy roots during the summer, so they don't resent a total drought of months. So, in my humble opinion, all these winter growing South African amaryllids need a bit of water even during the summer.

Angelo Porcelli
Apulia, south of Italy...where the smell of fresh olive oil fills the air of the town


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