All this talk about Dracunculus blooming almost caused me to miss the flowering of one of its tiny relatives. Biarum carduchorum is blooming today. This one bloomed at about this time last year, too. That puzzles me. Most plants bloom at the beginning of the growing season, and their developing seeds have the advantage of clement conditions. This Biarum carduchorum blooms as the plant is about to enter summer dormancy. Last year I expected the plant to leaf out again shortly after it bloomed - but it didn't. Here it produces leaves in the autumn, these leaves persist during the winter, and in mid to late spring they die down. Can anyone tell us anything about the conditions under which this plant grows in nature? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 where I'll keep an eye out for turkey vultures stomping around looking for Biarum hors d'oeuvres. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/