Oporanthous bulbs
John Grimshaw (Sun, 26 Aug 2007 10:31:18 PDT)

Mark McDonough wrote: > All this talk of Oporanthous bulbs, yet no mention
of Allium ;-)

I would suggest that this is because none fits the definition of oporanthy
that we've been discussing, i.e. the commencement by flowering of a plant's
annual cycle in late summer.

There are, as Mark has pointed out and beautifully illustrated, dozens of
late summer-flowering alliums, but I venture to suggest that none is
starting its cycle now. Even A. callimischon, indisputably autumn-flowering,
bears its flowers on an inflorescence produced in the previous growing
season. Are there alliums that truly start their cycle about now? The
earliest I'm aware of is A. chamaemoly, a tiny species that I've seen in
southern Spain flowering at Christmas, but this is a late autumn/winter
grower.

John Grimshaw

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

COLESBOURNE PARK OPEN DAYS 2007
Easter Monday 9 April, Arboretum Weekend 15-16 September
Gates open 1pm, last entry 4 pm
website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/