Dear Albuca enthusiasts,

If you remember a while back we had an interesting and informative
discussion about Albuca 'Augrabies Hills'
(http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…).
We debated whether the location was correct for this species and if it
was a true native of the Western Cape.

Recently two pots of Albuca from two different locations bloomed for
me and they were very similar, almost identical in every aspect from
bulbs, habit, leaves, and even flowers to Albuca 'Augrabies Hills'.
The only notable exception is that the flowers are just a bit larger.
I have concluded that they must be the same species as Albuca
'Augrabies Hills'. One was collected from Willowmore and the other
from Dysselsdorp, both in the Western Cape. The Willowmore and
Dysselsdorp forms are about the same, both having flowers larger than
the Augrabies Hills form.

You can see some photos here:
http://flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/…
http://flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/…
http://flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/…

I was able to cross pollinate the forms and get some seeds and they
are on their way to Dell for distribution.

I think this shows that the location for Albuca 'Augrabies Hills' is
probably correct and solves another interesting mystery in
horticulture.

Dietrich and Ute Mueller-Doblies helped us put the name Albuca
polyphylla on the plant, but I wonder now with the evidence for this
species to grow on the Western Cape that the name still applies?

Nhu
Berkeley, CA
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