Jim, There are only a handful of Phaedranassa species, all Andean and more or less similar in appearance and culture. They are mountain plants (to at least 7000 ft) and so appreciate cool nights; I don't know how they will fare with warm nights but they are generally robust and not difficult to grow. They should have a dry dormancy in winter-- some species may retain some leaves all year (what I grow as P. dubia is evergreen but is from a different source)-- and flower just before the new leaves emerge in spring, as yours is doing. I use a lean "cactus mix" that is very well drained. The fact that phaedranassas can be seen thriving along road cuts in well-lighted conditions (in a cloudy climate!) gives some idea of their requirements. As with most amaryllids it is important to allow the plant to become well-established and develop a substantial root system for reliable flowering. Oxalis obtusa: completely dry rest from late spring to early fall. A safe rule for almost all Mediterranean climate geophytes, whether in the iris, amaryllis or hyacinth families, is to hold back on any watering once the leaves yellow and keep them dry until fall. The plants I have lost from keeping them too dry are heavily outnumbered by those that succumbed to too-generous watering. Dylan Hannon Dylan Hannon Rare Bulbs On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 1:16 PM, <jmsjon664@aol.com> wrote: > My query on Cyphia digitata brought excellent information; now I would like > to shift hemisperes and ask about Phaedrananthus dubius. I received a > plant from Telos in October, it came through the winter fine, started > blooming in April and is still at it. I assume it will go dormant: does it > need something from me to encourage it? How dry does it need to be? > I'd like to ask the same question about Oxalis obtusa as well: should it be > kept very dry all summer long, or what? > > Thanks > > Jim Jones > > Lexington, MA > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/