Trading weeds
Jane McGary (Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:06:49 PST)

Nhu wrote

This species normally reproduces by seed. In nature it's a pioneer
plant of sandy soils, roadsides, overgrazed areas, and so on. I have
grown it a few times but it's not reliably winter hardy here in
Portland, Oregon. Its native climate is very similar to California's
Central Valley foothills.

I'm not familiar with the tender rhizomatous Oxalis species, but the
group from southern South America (O. adenophylla, O. enneaphylla, O.
laciniata, O. erythrorhiza) are hardy, rhizomatous, non-invasive --
and, except for the first named, difficult to maintain in
cultivation, normally grown in alpine houses.

The only Oxalis that has got away from me is O. obtusa, which
produces many small bulbs. It even hitchhiked into the new bulb beds,
presumably with a few things I planted directly from their pots
rather than removing all their soil. Still, it is very small and
doesn't seem to set seed here, and the large flowers are very pretty.

Like Rodger I had Nothoscordum inodorum inflicted on me by some
stupid seed exchange donor, but I got it as a Leucojum. I was unable
to kill it all where it got into a shrub bed, but now I have moved
away from it. Just a couple of years ago, I ordered Sternbergia seed
from the NARGS exchange and got what was obviously Habranthus seeds:
somebody had a yellow flower, looked at a picture, and guessed. At
least Habranthus isn't winter-hardy outdoors here, though it will sow
around in a greenhouse.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA