Cultural notes on Haemanthus
Douglas Westfall (Thu, 08 Jan 2004 11:36:12 PST)

Angelo PorcelliDoug Westfall angelopalm69@inwind.it1111 Claiborne Dr. Long
Beach, CA

Angelo,

I guess that I am "lucky." Every other year, I average somewhere between 50
and 60 H. coccineus seeds per 2 bulbs. (on the "off years" I get only 3 to 6
seeds and I do not know why except that the bulb must expend so much
energy.) I have 8 mature bulbs and many young ones which I sell every so
often, but the 2 are the "best" seed producers.

I think that you do not need to be too careful in your pollination efforts.
I have used a soft paint brush, my finger tips, and gently rubbing the
flower head together. Perhaps the latter is slightly more productive.

I do not have a picture of mine with seeds, but there is a picture of the
flower head on the wiki. I am starting to take pictures of the leaves and
the seeds. There seems to be those who want to see what they look like. I
do have a picture of Haemanthus membranceus seeds.

Best wishes

Doug