Lycoris season 2 - L. squamigera : 2?
James Waddick (Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:19:10 PDT)

Dear Friends,
Lycoris continue to bloom with a few late L. sanguinea
overlapping with the first round of species and their hybrids: Ll.
squamigera, chinensis, longituba and sprengeri. Still no incarnata or
the next round of later bloomers. We are experiencing a dry spell and
I expect to see major bloom when we get a heavy rain.

I had pondered the questions of other hybrids that match L.
squamigera. It is generally agreed that L. squamigera is a sterile
triploid hybrid between L. longituba and L. sprengeri. Although it is
an odd seeming combination it could surely have occurred more than
once. Chromosome numbers as follows:

L. squamigera = 27 (16 = 11)
L. longituba = 16
L. sprengeri = 22 (11 + 11)

Just this week I had a new flower stalk emerge that looks
like L. squamigera, but the flowers are a more even pale pink with no
hints of the blue-lilac common to the tepal tips of 'typical'
squamigera. It seems obviously like a sibling seedling to L.
squamigera, just a pastel.

I have a couple pictures I'd be glad to send to someone to
post to the wiki or mail to individuals with an interest. Send me
your email and I send them off. Appreciate responses.

It is pretty amazing that these delicate looking flower
scapes can push through dry, near rock-hard, baked clay to bloom.
Some L. longituba get to a full 3 ft tall. Amazing.

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 +