The advance of the themids
Jane McGary (Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:56:27 PDT)

Thanks to Jim McKenney for pointing out the usefulness of plants in
the Themidaceae (the "brodiaeas," formerly Alliaceae, before that
Liliaceae) at this time of year. This is truly the time of western
American bulbs: themids, Calochortus, and Allium. Many of them flower
long after the leaves emerge, sometimes even after the leaves wither.
Almost all the themids are long-stemmed in habit, growing in nature
among grasses and shrubs (one, Dichelostemma volubile, even twines to
climb shrubs). I wonder why so many late-flowering bulbs have evolved
in this region? Some are hummingbird-pollinated -- Dichelostemma
ida-maia probably exclusively by birds.

Bloomeria crocea, which Jim praised, is best appreciated when the
plant has been established for some years, as the inflorescence gets
larger with age (the "bulb" is a corm in all the themids). Triteleia
ixioides, another one with yellow flowers, is quite variable over its
large range; some I grew from seed I collected in Monterey County,
CA, have very large inflorescences. I'm also enjoying a commercial
Dutch selection, Triteleia 'Rudy' (not sure whether it's a selection
of T. laxa or a hybrid), in which the usual median stripes are very
pronounced; it increases well in a dry spot.

I'd also recommend Triteleia peduncularis, which has white,
lavender-flushed flowers on extremely long, slender pedicels. The
attenuated visual quality of the inflorescence means it's not showy
in the garden, but looked at closely it demands attention. It is
hardy to at least the mid-teens F.

All of these plants are easily grown from stored seeds, usually
flowering the third year from sowing. Telos Rare Bulbs also sells
corms of many.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA

At 06:15 AM 6/16/2014, you wrote: