Sparaxis, was What bulb is this?
John C. MacGregor (Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:48:32 PDT)
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