Dear Diana,
From Alberto in the past (August 2002):
"As for the names, the current ones are:
Ipheion vittatum is Nothoscordum vittatum
Ipheion sellowianum is N. felipponei
Ipheion hirtellum is N. hirtellum
Ipheion sessile in cultivation is Ipheion recurvifolium
Ipheion sessile true is a Chilean species not in cultivation
Ipheion ‘Rolf Fiedler’ is an undescribed species of Ipheion, tender, and
different than I uniflorum. It also offsets in a different way than I.
uniflorum
They all grow well in the warmer
areas of California from the Bay Area south. In cooler locations they must
receive extra heat during the summer, Mary Sue. In the wild summer
temperatures are above 28 C for some three months. My remarks were for hot
Australia, where summers are long and dry. In S. California I saw these
plants and they lose character in the dry hot summer. Here in the pampas the
air is humid the year round, over 70% is common.
Nothoscordum dialystemon (ex Ipheion dialystemon) seems to be a form of N.
felipponei (ex Ipheion sellowianum) with eight tepals instead of the normal
six and offsetting fairly well. It flowers from Aug. 17th on in the wild. It
grows in full sun in a strange kind of soil, like a beige powder. It
receives a lot of cold during winter , even 8 C frosts. But also a lot of
sun and a long hot dormancy with the rainfall distributed as mentioned
before. The flowers have a silky texture. I would suggest watering them well
during their flowering season."
I've been labeling my pots Nothoscordum felipponei on one side and
N.dialystemon, N. sellowianum on the other just so I can tell them apart.
Mary Sue