Bomarea (Leontochir) ovallei
Jane McGary (Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:36:31 PST)

Paul Licht wrote:

Paul, please wait a few years. A mature Leontochir (or, if you prefer
the new view, Bomarea ovallei) is one of the most spectacular
flowering plants I have seen. The individual crimson florets are
almost 5 cm across, and the inflorescence is very large and of heavy
substance. The massive, leafy stems can be more than a meter long.

The usual habitat of this plant is in very rocky, steeply sloping
terrain. I have seen it growing in large talus falls and also in
crevices on canyon sides. The root system is presumably much like
that of many Alstroemeria species and adapted to mobile situations
where the flowering stems can emerge here and there. Although the
climate is arid, probably there is moisture down where the roots are:
I saw an Adiantum (maidenhair fern) species growing in the same
crevices with this plant. If I could grow it here, which is unlikely
given the winter temperatures, I would plant it deep and not let the
soil under it get absolutely dry in summer. Note that the rock in its
native habitat actually provides moisture even in years entirely
without precipitation, because the frequent fogs condense on the
rocks and the moisture can seep down through the interstices. Much of
the vegetation along the Atacama coast survives only because it has
adapted in one way or another to getting moisture from fog. In fact,
in the book cited below, they recommend misting the foliage
frequently. They also say some organic matter in the soil is
necessary; I suppose in nature this would arise from dead foliage
sifting down through the rocks.

As for propagation, here (in translation) is what Riedemann et al.,
Flora nativa de valor ornamental: Zona Norte, has to say: "It is
propagated by seed sown in stratified conditions[i.e., exposed to
diurnal temperature variation] in the nursery, in a mix of one part
compost [i.e., organic material] and two parts sand. When germination
begins, the seed [i.e., seed coat] emerges from the soil, but you
should not cover or remove it, however you should protect it from
birds. It is best to keep it in the nursery in a pot where it does
not have to be transplanted." I don't know if this is helpful other
than the suggestion about temperature variation, which in the case of
these authors (living in Valparaiso) would be entirely similar to
what occurs in Berkeley. In growing Alstroemeria species from seed,
however, I have always found that storing the seed dry at room
temperature until fall produces better results than immediate
planting or storing the seed under refrigeration. As for growing it
in a pot, I think they mean in its younger years; it would surely do
best given an unrestricted root run after that.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA