more on Hymenocallis
ConroeJoe@aol.com (Sun, 25 Apr 2004 10:42:28 PDT)

Hi,

I owe some of you seeds or bulbs from Texas plants. I have not forgotten,
but am in the middle of a very busy spring and am still tracking down
populations from southeast Texas.

My early plants have finished blooming (the small form), whereas the large
form plants are just in the middle of their bloom. If it ever dries out a bit I
plan to do some seed gathering from wild populations. The most southerly
plants that I have (Texas plants) are from Hog Bayou in Calhoun County. I don't
yet have germplasm from populations north of Cleveland, TX, but hope to travel
to Palestine, TX this spring and collect seed.

Everything I've found within 100 miles of Houston has a dab of yellow in the
center of the flower, and if I take the time to dig down the bulbs are big
(duck egg-sized), and have dark skins--almost black. But the populations are
variable in terms of when they bloom, flower size, and overall plant size. Some
start as early as March 1, whereas other populations don't get going till 3-4
weeks later even though they are situated half a climate zone warmer (9b vs.
9a).

These southeast Texas plants are quite adaptable. They are willing to grow
in roadside ditches and even tolerate roadside mowing. So, while their natural
habitat is slowly going away, I don't think the species will be lost. The
population near my home is due for extinction soon when a 2-lane road is
widened, but perhaps it too can survive here and there in ditches and manmade low
areas. They do fine in regular gardens but I think they must need seasonal
wetness to successfully reproduce in the wild.

I'm still looking for Hymenocallis galvestonensis seeds if anyone has some to
spare this year. I've never seen that plant in the wild, I guess I just
don't know where to look.

Cordially,

Joe, Conroe TX, lots of rain forecast this week