Cyrtanthus epiphyticus
John Grimshaw (Sun, 06 Aug 2006 00:45:47 PDT)

I've grown Cyrtanthus epiphyticus for some time, from a collection made in
South Africa by Panayoti Kelaidis in the 90s, and I've also seen it in the
wild growing in the turf (not up a tree!) at Naude's Nek and elsewhere in
the Drakensberg. In my experience the corolla lobes flare outwards, as in
the photographs by Mary Sue, but not Bill Dyke's. I would describe the
colour as orange-red.

I find that the different bulbs in the pot flower at different times during
the summer, but in my experience it is a summer-growing, summer-flowering
plant. I dry off the pot as the plants go dormant in autumn and keep it cool
& dry all winter, usually resurrecting it in April, with repotting every 2-3
years. The bulbs don't seem to increase vegetatively. I've not yet risked a
bulb outside, but most of its congeners in the wild are hardy here so I
ought to be a bit bolder.

John Grimshaw

Dr John M. Grimshaw
Sycamore Cottage
Colesbourne
Nr Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL53 9NP

Website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/
----- Original Message -----

From: "Mary Sue Ittner" <msittner@mcn.org>
To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 1:36 AM
Subject: [pbs] Cyrtanthus epiphyticus