Oporanthous bulbs

Michael Mace mikemace@att.net
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:23:36 PDT
I like the term "oporanthous."

 

Here in my part of California it's a typical year for Amaryllis, and they're
about in the middle of the bloom season.  Haemanthus amarylloides has
already finished blooming and may have set a couple of seeds this year (I
self-pollinated it).

 

To my intense delight, my 10+ year old bulb of Brunsvigia marginata
definitely has a bud on it.  This will be its first year to bloom.

 

Boophone haemanthoides has just started to show leaves, which I presume
means it won't bloom this year (it has yet to bloom for me).  One Nerine
sarniensis bulb has a single bud showing.

 

Meanwhile, among non-Amaryllids, one Michael Vassar-collected Oxalis is in
bloom.  It's MV 4674, a lavender flower with an olive colored eye.  The
photo on the PBS website shows it in bloom with leaves, but for me it's in
full bloom with no leaves exposed yet.

 

Oh, and one pot of Moraea polystachya already has leaves about 3-4 inches
high (7-10 cm).  It's a pot that I grow along with my amaryllids, meaning it
gets a little summer water.  This particular Moraea species seems to respond
very well to water starting in early August.

 

The rest of the bulbs are still asleep.

 

Mike

San Jose, CA  (zone 9, min temp 20F/-7C)


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