Paul Licht wrote: >For the record, we have one [Leontochir] which bloomed at the UC >Botanical Garden (a 2008 >accession) that bloomed in March 2010 which we hope to propagate. I >found it a bit underwhelming because I'm accustomed to the much more >striking Bomarea. 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