Dear Jim McK, What you describe seem to fit along a continuum of L. longituba x L. chinensis hybrids maybe even a touch of L. sprengeri. These interbreed freely in the wild. You didn't mention, but I'll ask. Are the tepals completely smooth, wide and rounded or do they show ruffled (even slightly) edges, pointed tips and narrow width? The latter suggest some hybrid influences. Any of these hybrid whether more toward either type are very lovely garden flowers. They tend to have very tall stems and multiply well to form nice clumps in the garden. > >The season for Lycoris squamigera will evidently be a long one this year: >the first appeared weeks ago and others are just emerging. It would be nice >to know what triggers bloom in these bulbs. I think the generalities are obvious: The season (and /or maturation of the bulb and flower stem), and rainfall. I don't think temperature. They can bloom just as timely when it is blazing hot as it has been here with temps in mid-to upper 90s F as when we have a rare cool spell in the 70s. I have definitely seen a coincidence with rainfall. Light rain seems less influential than a heavy rain -1/2 inch or more. Heavy rain not only in followed by first stems, but seems to encourage multiple and secondary stems to emerge. This is just my experience and based on what has been shown to trigger bloom in other species. Best Jim W. > -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +