Comments on Neomarica

plcrawley plcrawley@emeraldis.com
Sun, 27 May 2007 14:33:21 PDT
Hello all -

	I don't have a digital camera now (it's on my wish list) but I'll 
try to give you the differences between N. gracilis and N. 
longifolia.  Gracilis is the most available cultivar and it has a 
flat, narrow leaf like structure that has the blooms at the end.  I 
believe that leaf (for want of a better term) is about 1/2 to 3/4 in 
wide and is the same color as the other leaves on the plant. After 
the flowers are spent the new baby plant emerges at the end of that 
leaf and when it becomes large and heavy it flops to the ground and 
then roots. That's the so-called walk away from mama. The flowers are 
predominately blue and last only a day.  There doesn't seem to be 
many flowers on each stalk/leaf/whatever.

	My N.longifolia is only about 7 -8 months old, but it has grown 
fairly rapidly.  The leaves are lighter in color than gracilis, 
longer, and seem thinner.  The flowering stalk is round, a bit darker 
in color than gracilis, and has anywhere from one to five flowering 
points on it arranged from the base to the upper end. The yellow 
flowers, which remind me of Tigridia flowers are a clear yellow with 
dark, reddish brown spots at the end close to the stalk.  The outer 
ends of the petals are slightly reflexed, with the entire flower 
being about 1 and 1/2 inches across.  They only last one day, but 
each flowering point seems to have several (say 6 to 9) flowers that 
bloom sequentially.  After the blooming is finished you can see the 
tips of the new plantlets emerging from the sheath that protected the 
growing flower buds. I have not seen roots on any of these new 
plantlets, but I'll keep you posted as they mature. The one rhizome 
that I have has already split into two, and it seems there is at 
least one more emerging  from the base.  It looks as though it will 
propagate fairly quickly.  The leaves, like gracilis has the one 
"notched" side  as the plant matures.

	The cultivar N. Regina, which was supposedly found in Brazil, seems 
much larger in all  respects than either N. gracilis or N. longiflia. 
I'm anxious to see what the flowers will look like, and how the 
little plantlets emerge.  That's why I asked if anyone had a plant 
that had matured and bloomed. The leaves are supposed to be up to 
five feet long, so it's going to be a pretty large plant.

	I hope this gives you some comparison points that will allow you to 
be able to differentiate between the various cultivars. I'm going to 
stay on the lookout on eBay for other cultivars to grow.  I enjoy 
making comparisons on this type of plant.  If anyone has any 
questions, ask me and I'll try to answer them.

Paul L. Crawley
Greenwood, SC 29646

	


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