SA Bulbs
jmsjon664@aol.com (Fri, 23 May 2008 14:41:19 PDT)

The appearance of Karla Chandler on the scene prompts me to ask for info about a South African bulb...if it is a bulb!  I had no such expectation of Cyphia digitata (Lobeliaceae) when I grew it from seed, but when all my plants spontaneously lost their foliage as summer approached, I was wary enough to empty out the pots, and there were storage organs that looked very like bulbs.
My questions: A. Is this species considered a geophyte (how not, I suppose)?

B. How complete a summer rest does it need?  I lost a couple last summer and could not tell if it was from too much or too little moisture.

The top-growth is wispy and clearly intended to scramble up available support.  It is described as a grassland species that bears blue flowers in winter.

Jim Jones

Lexington, MA Z5-6