pbs Digest, Vol 44, Issue 2: Oxalis melanosticta
Hannon via pbs (Fri, 02 Oct 2020 19:31:32 PDT)
Thanks to Roy for bringing this up. I had assumed that 'Ken Aslet' was
more or less indistinguishable from the form I have offered, though it
cannot be the same clone. It was collected by John Lavranos (Sutherland:
top of Komsberg Pass, Lav. 30507) in the mid-1990s. Every winter it makes a
beautiful dome of silvery foliage. The bulbs "divide" over time but always
remain in the center of the pot.
A few years ago I noticed seeds forming on this plant for the first time
and I planted them. The seedlings are identical to the original. The
original accession was two bulbs and it is possible that bee work finally
achieved cross-pollination; I have not looked for heterostyly within the
one large clump.
As to the flattened aspect, I have seen a similar condition in O.
pes-caprae occasionally, when the plants are in full sun all day in
compacted soil. It is a very attractive plant when growing like this, with
dense chocolate speckling on the leaves and flower stalks only 6" tall.
Dylan Hannon
Los Angeles CA
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2020 13:55:31 -0400
From: Roy Herold <rrherold@gmail.com>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>
Subject: [pbs] Oxalis melanosticta variants
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Everybody but everybody probably grows Oxalis melanosticta 'Ken Aslet'
(sometimes incorrectly listed as O. purpurea), but few are aware that there
are other forms of this species in cultivation.
Periodically Dylan Hannon has offered Oxalis sp. Sutherland, and I ordered
it from him ~15 years ago.It turned out to be Oxalis melanosticta, but was
different from Ken Aslet. I finally managed to get a decent picture of the
two side-by-side, see attached.
The pot on the left is Ken Aslet, the other two are Dylan's. The latter are
a good 50% larger, and just as floriferous. This picture was taken about a
week ago--all of the pots are covered with flowers now.They have the same
tristyly sequence, so that may be why there haven't been any seeds.
I've sent Dylan's into the BX several times, so some of you may also be
growing it.
Finally, I'm including a pic of O. melanosticta in the wild, taken near
Matjiesfontein.Has anyone here managed to grow it with the foliage flat on
the ground like this? That's Gladiolus karooicus in the back, BTW.
--Roy
NW of Boston
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