Dichelostemma--TOW
Mary Sue Ittner (Mon, 26 May 2003 22:30:12 PDT)

Dear All,

This is part 2 of my introduction.

The species can be grown from seed started in the fall. Dichelostemma
ida-maia has the reputation for being the most challenging from seed and
may benefit from a wide range of temperatures between day and night for
success. Most of them can also be propagated from the offsets that are
produced around the corms. They grow during the winter rainy season and
then bloom as the days get dry and warmer as their leaves start to shrivel.
They go dormant in summer and do not sprout again until after it starts to
rain in the late fall. As they are found in a wide range of elevations in
nature, species grown from wild seed may be of different degrees of hardiness.

Dichelostemma capitatum, D. congestum, and D. multiflorum all grow in areas
that get very cold as well as in areas not as cold so one would suspect
that by choosing the origin of the seed you could grow hardier types. D.
capitatum can be found in wet and dry areas as well. Luckily Ron Ratko
sells wild collected seed and in his catalog usually includes a description
of the plant, the soil type and habitat where it was found, and the elevation.

Glenn Keator recommends light shade for D. ida-maia, and D. congestum. I
never could get D. ida-maia to bloom until Jim Robinett told me that on the
coast I should plant it in my hottest spot. Once I moved it to the sunny
deck it has bloomed every year. But not every one blooms. Since many years
the leaves have withered or are withering by flowering time I think most of
them can be more attractive planted in the ground and allowed to bloom
around other things. Most have a reputation for not tolerating wet soils
when they are dormant, especially in areas with hot temperatures. As
Alberto points out this may not be true. On the other hand I can testify
that they can survive without any summer water. It was interesting to read
from Alberto that he has green leaves with blooms because he has more
regular rain. We've had late rains here although I think we are done now
and I have watered a little and the leaves are still drying up although the
flowers are fine.

I have seen D. volubile in the wild, but not yet have gotten it to bloom. I
started some from seed in the fall of 1999 and would have expected it to
bloom by now. Maybe next year. Jane says it is found in seeps so maybe I
just need to plant it out in a low part of my garden since I certainly get
the rain where I live. It hasn't been nearly as vigorous as the others for
me. Besides D. ida-maia which is so striking, I think D. multiflorum is my
favorite. It is a really handsome plant and a good cut flower. Years ago I
planted D. congestum in a part of my garden where I had a patch of clay. I
just wanted to see if something that was normally found in clay would like
growing in clay. It bloomed the first year just fine, but the second year
the deer found it and it was slow dwindle from there and I haven't seen any
lately. I have enough offsets now to make some new trials in other parts of
my garden that are decomposed sandstone.

Hopefully Alan Meerow will respond to Mark's question about the changed
family. Taxonomy is not my strength. But I will quote from "Consider the
Lilies" by Dean G. Kelch in the most current Fremontia (journal of the
California Native Plant Society.) Kelch is a PhD research associate of the
University and the Jepson Herbaria of UC Berkeley.

"Several characters can be used to distinguish Alliaceae from Themidaceae.
While Alliaceae have a pair of bracts that encloses the flower buds,
Themidaceae have several bracts that do not enclose the young flowers.
Alliaceae have a true bulb (composed of swollen leaf bases) with a
membranous coat, but the storage organ in Themidaceae is a corm (composed
of stem tissue.) Most, if not all, Themidaceae lack the onion odor."
Although he sites references, many of them are older ones and he writes
that he is preparing us for the changes to Liliaceae so perhaps the
research articles are still to come.

Mary Sue

P.S. I see that before I finished writing this Alan has indeed furnished
the references.

Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers