Sprekelia
M Ashley-Cooper (Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:05:11 PST)

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----- Original Message -----
From: Hannon
To: Pacific Bulb Society
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 7:24 PM
Subject: Re: [pbs] Sprekelia

I have listed this species in my 2008 summer bulb list. They are sturdy
seedlings several years old. Requests for this list are welcome (US orders
only), please send a private request to me at othonna<at>gmail<dot>com. Also
on this list are rare species of Dandya, Hymenocallis, Rauhia and
Stenomesson, most with locality information. A winter grower list is also
available but these will not be shipped until June of this year.
I find S. howardii easy to grow here outdoors in Los Angeles so long as it
is kept out of winter rains. It starts growth in early summer and finishes
in late fall so do not expect spring activity-- as with geophytes from the
monsoon climate areas of Mexico generally. Its hysteranthous habit (flowers
appearing above bare soil before the leaves) is very appealing and the
flowers are large compared to the plant overall and blood red. Bulbs are
more like Rhodophiala or Zephyranthes in being subterranean with a long
neck; foliage is also distinct from S. formosissima in being uniformly
narrower, darker and with some red tinting. S. howardii grows in hot dry
canyons at lower elevations than S. formosissima.

It is a fine species, recognized decades ago by Thad as distinctive, and I
am pleased to be able to offer it.

Dylan
Dylan Hannon Rare Bulbs