Ungernia post script and question.
James Waddick (Sat, 06 Sep 2003 06:36:07 PDT)

Dear all;
I know a number of you are very interested in the genus
Ungernia supposedly the closest relative to Lycoris. Last fall (after
years of pleading) I was able to get 5 bulbs of 3, possibly 4,
species. All looked small and pitiful (compared to Lycoris). However,
all emerged in spring with some foliage and this lasted a couple of
months before yellowing and appearing to go dormant (not just dying).
I really did not anticipate bloom this fall-and none have,
but this summer's heat and drought should have suited them just fine.
Fingers remain crossed that come spring they will pop up stronger
then this year.

When I got the bulbs I was rather surprised to see what I
later learned is a characteristic of the bulb. I'll try to describe
it to make sense. The basal plate (at the bottom of the bulb) is
fairly thick and very dense. Each year as more bulb scales are added
and old ones rot away, the basal plate does not deteriorate. This
means that as the bulb ages these basal plates form an under-bulb
'stem' the diameter of the plate and up to a couple of inches in
length sort of like a pencil stub coming out of the bottom of the
bulb, but consisting of 'woody' basal plates stacked on top of one
another.
If a bulb has divided these under 'bulb stems' show that
branching until eventually they too rot away in time. Very odd
looking. I assume that old vigorous bulbs could have an extensive set
of underground branches each culminating in a growing bulb, like an
underground 'bulb tree'.
Hope this makes sense. Has anyone see this in any other bulbs?

Always curious Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
E-fax 419-781-8594

Zone 5 Record low -23F
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