Hymenocallis, Dunes. and Peduncles?.
P. C. Andrews (Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:30:24 PDT)

During the recent storms in the Bahamas (Frances and Jeanne) the dune at the
front of our garden was cut back about 60', far past the part that contains
evidence of human activity (glass and plastic). Hundreds of Hymenocallis
were carried off and deposited in various places. While recovering what I
could, I noticed a feature of the dune-grown bulbs that I had not read
about. They all had an extended peduncle (up to 12" in some cases) below
the bulb, some with roots extending from this structure. Because they had
all been tumbled in the surf, all had been snapped off short. When I looked
at those still embedded in the edge of the remaining dune, the extensions
were quite long but I didn't get a chance to dig deeply enough to ascertain
the total length. Some of these plants must be quite old given the depth
they've climbed from.
I had always wondered how these plants managed to keep their bulbs a foot or
so below the surface when the dune height can grow 6" or more per year.
Hymenocallis growing on rocks, of course, have no extension and the bare
bulbs rest directly on the rock.
Can anyone enlarge on this behavior for me? What is the correct term for
the extension?
Curiously,
Phil Andrews
Living in 5 but gardening in 9.

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