Alberto,
I would love to see pictures of your hybrid Tritonias if you don't mind!
Josh
________________________________
From: Alberto Castillo <ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Mon, November 1, 2010 2:49:22 PM
Subject: [pbs] Tritonia hybridizing OT
Dear all:
This is OT but I wanted to bring your attention to this. It has
been mentioned in the wiki in the past but it seems to be more problematic than
previously thought of.
Winter growing Tritonias are mostly easy to flower, dependable
cormous plants that are in bloom at the end of the season (except for one or two
spp.) when most other SA winter growers are setting seed or already dormant. We
grow here several species and they are lovely and undemanding. BUT, recently a
large batch of Tritonia dubia seed has flowered and what a mess it is. They were
seed from our own Tritonia dubia, therefore no doubt about the origin of the
parent plants. Very few look like pure dubia, many superficially resemble deusta
and yet others look like crocata in several shades of deep salmon and scarlet
orange. All are great garden plants and flower freely even tho this is their
first season but it is evident a lot of care must be take to ensure that the
seed is pure. As it goes it seems the bees have stirred it up a good deal and
our aim is to distribute pure species not a swarm of hybrids, pretty as they may
be.
Best