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Hermannias & Solanums

At 08:18 22/11/97 GMT, Tim wrote:
>....Hermannia incana on Matt's list of available species from B & T
>is the sp Phillpotts reckoned was Australian. I confess E.P. wasn't
>always too accurate about that sort of thing: too many whisky and
>sodas at the club before he sat down to write, perhaps... Does anyone
>else have more definite information about the place(s) of origin of
>hermannias?

Tim,
According to the RHS Encyclopedia, Hermannias come from "open sandy sites
in Africa".  According to Bond & Goldblatt - Plants of the Cape Flora, a
descriptive catalogue, there are about 300 species "from the dry tropics
and subtropics".  H. incana is stated as being a grey-leafed shrub to 2m.,
flowers yellow, 8-10, dry lower to middle slopes, Worcester to Oudtshoorn,
Peninsula to George (Karoo).  Perhaps, as you suggest, poor old Eden
Philpotts had had one too many!

I'm not sure I can add much to this, other than to say that I got some seed
of H. pinnata a couple of years ago, and have some young plants which have
not yet flowered.  I intend to plant some out next spring to see how they
do.  A few members of the alpine fraternity have tried it and succeeded
with it in alpine houses, so there's a fair chance that a mediterranean,
summer-dry spot will be OK.  Silverhill Seeds usually list about 8-9
species.  Perhaps any members from S. Africa could add some more suggestions?

About Solanums, there are a few more available - why not try Solanum
tuberosum, which is a deciduous perennial and has purple-to-white flowers;
it can be propagated from the over-wintering tubers.  
;-)

Ian
***************************************
Ian Black  ianblack@easynet.co.uk
Alton, Hampshire, UK   mintemp -8C
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~ianblack/
***************************************
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