BX Successes--TOW--Albuca, Bulbine
Mary Sue Ittner (Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:50:09 PDT)

Dear All,

From BX 4 I got seeds from Tom Glavich of two things I had no knowledge of
and weren't even in any of my books. It must have been Tom's interesting
description of them.

Tom's description:
Albuca circinata is seed from plants originally from Silverhill (2000
catalog). These are wonderful albucas, The leaves are about 8 inches
long, straight and narrow, and then make a single 1/2 loop at the
end. Typical albuca flowers, white and green. I grow it for the leaves.

Not realizing this was a summer rainfall species that should be started in
spring I sowed seed in October 2002. This year they bloomed (March) so less
than two years from seed. I didn't water them enough this summer and they
went dormant even though Tom had said they were evergreen. I repotted them
recently and now spirally leaves are appearing. The leaves don't stay that
way during periods of good rainfall unfortunately. I'd describe mine as
more yellowish than white. I seem to have converted this one to a
Mediterranean cycle. Does anyone know anything about where it comes from
(location, habitat information.)?
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Tom's description:
Bulbine alooides is a fat leaved Bulbine, grown from seed distributed by the
Haworthia Society several years ago. I have the details if anyone needs
them. Easy to grow, winter (spring) grower, dies back quite a bit about this
time of year. Great yellow Bulbine flowers, stays small, about 4 inch leaves
with 12 inch flower stalks.

I sowed seed in October 2002 and I think it might have bloomed the first
year, but I didn't make a note of it and I am sure it bloomed this spring
so at the very least it was less than two years from seed:
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Thanks Tom.

Mary Sue