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Re: Amaryllis and other bulbs

hi yall,

one of the problems with common names is that we don't always know for sure
that we are talking about the same plant (right, ruth?).  

the common "amaryllis" is the south american plant that is now in the genus
Hippeastrum.  these are common gift and houseplants with those huge flowers,
although they are coming up with miniatures now.  i understand it is difficult
to rebloom those plants (at least i have not done so) but that there are
secrets and tips to do so (as kathleen has advised).  this is probably what
you have, shirley.  

btw, there is an extremely rare plant sometimes placed in the genus Worsleya,
sometimes Hippeastrum, that has huge bluish/lavender flowers, absolutely
stunning!

the original plant named Amaryllis is A. belladonna from south africa.  it is
not commonly found as a gift plant or houseplant, but it can be grown outdoors
in southern california i believe.  it has smaller flowers but more flowers per
stalk than the Hippeastrum; Hippeastrum is commoly found with stripes whereas
that is rare in Amaryllis (i think); in europe there are also many hybrids
with Brunsvigia (x Amarygia) and Crinum (x Amarcrinum).

the naked ladies in california keith mentions could be Nerine (also known as
ressurection lilies) or the true Amaryllis, i'm not sure.  there are many in
this fascinating family that bloom first before the leaves come out.

on this topic, let me just mention that there are so many fascinating plants
in this group (south african bulbs) that claire mentioned.  they are mostly in
the amarillydaceae, iridaceae and other families formerly in the lilliaceae
family.  as a matter of fact, the flora of the Cape region of south africa is
so rich in a tiny area (about 1/40 of the united states), there are more
species of plants than in the entire north american region combined!!!!   i
grow many of them, thanks to correspondents in italy and california (one of
them from this list).  i have not had great success blooming them like claire,
the only ones that have bloomed for me are the Ornithogallum sp. (white
flowers) and Haemanthus albiflos.  other genera i grow are Ferraria,
Lachenalia, Anomatheca, Freesia, Babiana, Sparaxis, Veltheimia, Chasmanthe
etc.  claire, please share with us your secrets in growing your bulbs.

the problem with many of the south african bulbs is that they are winter-
growing, i.e., they grow and bloom in the wet, cool winter of south africa and
then go dormant during the dry hot summers.  it is hard to replicate those
conditions in an apartment, and ny summers are too hot for them.  it is
relatively easy to grow them outdoors in southern california, the meditarrean
region, or in a cool greenhouse.  here in brooklyn, at the brooklyn botanic
garden, there is a gardener who specializes in south african bulbs and there
is always a nice exhibit in the temperate house in the winter.  i just came
from there today and saw beautiful Moraeas, Lachenalias, Gladioli and a
rarity, Massonia in bloom.  

for more information, there are 2 good books to consult: "Cape Bulbs" by
Richard Doutt and "Best Bulbs for Temperate Climates" by Jack Hobbs and Terry
Hatch; both books published by Timber Press.  

sorry for being so verbose, hope this is helpful.

tsuh yang chen, nyc
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