Hi Mary Sue:
Bomareas are like trailing or climbing Alstroemerias (in
fact a botanist has merged them and Leontochir into Alstroemeria) and like
them can be warmth loving or almost alpine. As a result, not all can be
grown under the same conditions. All are winter dormant, even salsilla that
comes from winter rainfall areas of Chile. As with Alstroemerias, they have
extensive root systems that demand extra room but this imply that if grown
in the open ground, can not be transplanted or dug without being butchered.
Those we have seen in the wild had their roots so deep in the ground as to
make it impossible to find their end. They were growing at the edge of
forests, usually in gentle slopes, often growing from beneath a rock, with
most of the plant in shade and the flowering tips reaching into full
sunshine.
Several altitude species are grown at UCBG Berkeley like
weeds, being very permanent and very hardy under those conditions. These
cooler growing species are found in the cloud forests of the Andes and could
be at home in Tasmania with Rob and Lyn.
Hence, their need for warm conditions depend on their
wild origin.
Best regards
Alberto
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