Dear Robin There are many of us in South Africa who grow Oxalis, but we have the same problem as everyone else - how do you get a name for them? We have about 50 pots in our bulb collection, and only about half are named. It makes us very loathe to collect more as we land up with more unlabelled pots. The other problem with them is the lack of seeds for many species. There are many species that don't seem to make seeds (maybe they make them, but we have certainly never found them), but reproduce entirely by new "bulb" production. Those that do make seeds, shoot them out of their capsules, and they are extremely shortlived and germinate almost immediately. So seed storage is a problem. I can also understand Peter Goldblatt saying that the Bulb Encyclopedia is too fat already - it is! Imagine if they included heavens knows how many species of Oxalis as well - it would be pages more. Regards Rachel Saunders Cape Town ----- Original Message ----- From: Robin Attrill <Robin@rpattrill.freeserve.co.uk> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 11:57 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs > Alberto & Diana, > > I am not at all surprised at the lack of Oxalis coverage in the book for the > reasons stated by Diana, ie lack of available contemporary keys. Very few > people in S Africa appear to have an active interest in the genus, in > contrast to the situation with the monocots. > > I notice that a copy of the Salter monograph is currently listed on the > Clarkes bookshop site at http://www.clarkes.co.za/ in catalogue #15. However, the > price ($750 /GBP500 !!!!!) may prove to be a bit of a disincentive to > purchase! On the bright side at least you have your copies of the Cape Bulb > Encyclopedia - mine, ordered through AGS, has yet to arrive! > > Best wishes > > Robin Attrill > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >