When plants bloom
John Grimshaw (Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:53:47 PDT)
Lauw de Jager asked,
The latestwintergrowing species flowering at this time of the year here
are
the Californiana genera of Calochortus, Triteleia, Bloomeria, Brodeaia
(with the Alliums flava, thunbergii, carinatum). ...
Is there something specific in the Californian climate which has evolved
this late flowering caracteristic?
Jane McGary replied:
It seems to me that most of the western bulbs that flower late either are
alpine (e.g., the low-growing Allium and Calochortus species) or have very
tall scapes (e.g., almost all species of the genera Lauw mentions).
This is certainly true, but does California have any bulbous plants that
emerge in earliest spring - the equivalent of Crocus or early Narcissus
(etc, etc) in the Mediterranean? I do not mean high altitude snow-melt
plants (I've seen Erythronium purpurascens emerging in best
Soldanelloid-fashion from melting snow in July). I know that there are no
autumnal-flowering bulbs in California, but in my experience most bulbs,
even in southern California, flower comparatively later than many of their
counterparts in the Mediterranean, with the main flowerng of winter annuals
rather than before them. I have not really botanised in California in
January and February, but neither can I recall any really early bulbous
plants from cultivation or literature.
John Grimshaw