David - Thanks for the clarifications. My comment on seed collecting difficulty was based on second hand information. Perhaps the source was referring to the difficulty of collecting large quantities of seeds. (Or maybe my memory is faulty -- this has been known to happen.) Pelargonium schlechteri (I spelled it correctly this time.) only gets a few lines in Pooley's book. Here's what she says: "P. schlechteri. Two-tiered Pelargonium. Leaf margins toothed, net veins strongly raised; inflorescence usually 2 tiered, petals greenish yellow, each with purplish red blotch." She doesn't show a geographic range for this species. Incidentally, the book's full title is A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Region. It's a good reference for the area; more than 1800 species are covered, not all geophytes, of course. (You may need a magnifying glass to look at some of the photographs, though.) I purchased my copy through Silverhill Seeds. Eugene Zielinski Augusta, GA > [Original Message] > From: David Victor <davidxvictor@mailblocks.com> > To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Date: 8/27/04 10:44:30 AM > Subject: [pbs] Re: Tuberous Pelargonium > > Dear all, > > It was very pleasant to me to find some replies on this subject in my mail > box this morning, so thank all of you that have shown interest. > > Eugene, > > >Like Jim, I'm also interested in summer growing geophytic pelargoniums. > > >P. schlecteri is pictured in Elsa Pooley's Wild Flowers of > >KwaZulu Natal. It looks interesting, with vaguely pea shaped flowers in > >two tiers, like a candelabra primrose. I don't know of any source of seeds > >for these two. I imagine seed would be somewhat difficult to collect, as > >is the case with most pelargoniums. > > I don't know this plant at all and would welcome any further information > you have about it, as I don't have access to this book. However, I am a > little confused about your comment that seed is difficult to collect from > most pelargoniums. Unlike other members of the Geraniaceae, the seed > containing mericarps remain attached to the plant until disturbed and > generally are easier to collect than their cousins. > > > >One winter growing pelargonium I'd like to see is P. sibthorpianum, (I > >think I've spelled that right...) a very low growing species. There's a > >nice illustration in Rowley's caudiciforms book. > > I think that you mean P. sibthorpiifolium, which is a tuberous plant that > grows in the extreme North West of the Cape Province and the Southern edge > of Namibia. A very low growing plant with white flowers, marked in > red/purple. A beautiful small plant, though rare in cultivation. > > Many thanks everyone for your interest. If there are any further questions > or comments, please do not hesitate to reply. > > Best regards, > David Victor > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php