On Aug 29, 2010, at 6:25 PM, Mary Sue Ittner wrote: > I doubt that what Ina is growing is a pure species even though it > does look a lot like Sparaxis bulbifera so I could be wrong. I was > given some that look very much like it that someone bought at a > garden center. I'll use the file so I won't have to describe where > it is on the hybrid page. It has been long lived and expanded by > offsets and has hybrid vigor. > <http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/… > Sparaxis_hybrid_yellow_white_msi.jpg> Mary Sue, I doubt the yellow Sparaxis I am growing is the same as that pictured on the wiki page, and it may not be identical to the one Ina is growing either. It is not white with a golden center. Mine is a uniform clear primrose yellow, and the bud sheath does not appear to be as dark a brown--just rather papery and translucent with only yellow on the petal reverse. Unfortunately, I have never managed to have a camera handy when it was in peak bloom. I'll try in the spring. I agree it has the potential to spread, but in most garden settings I don't think it would be a pest. Whenever it is in leaf, the corms would be easy to find and dig out, as they remain near the surface. Anyway, this is a weed I could live with. Gladiolus tristis is such a weed, which becomes a problem only where the seed falls into pots full of cacti and prickly succulents like aloes and dyckias. Then it takes unpotting the plant and shedding real blood to extract the corms. John C. MacGregor South Pasadena, CA, USA USDA Zone 9 Sunset Zones 21/23