Sparaxis hybrids are often grown and bloom in one to two years from seed. If you let the bees pollinate you get many unusual beautiful flowers. In September 2006 we saw rows of them planted in South Africa near Nieuwoudtville. The second picture shows them growing with Lachenalia hybrids. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Below are a sampling grown from seed and photographed by Bob Rutemoeller. The first one may be influenced by S. grandiflora as the flowers are purple. The second one is red with a dark center, probably a mix of S. elegans and Sparaxis tricolor in its heritage. The third one is bright red and probably has Sparaxis tricolor in its heritage in fact you might see it offered as Sparaxis tricolor. These last three are really interesting combinations.
And more photographed by Mary Sue Ittner. The first picture shows how in subsequent years you can have a mass since they multiply by cormlets around the corm. Some hybrids grown from seed are more likely to do this than others. The third one looks like it could have S. grandiflora in its heritage and the last S. tricolor.
Some more interesting colour combinations. Grown and photographed by Paul Tyerman.
These two pictures are of two "splash coloured" forms of Sparaxis hybrids. I am now starting to wonder whether these are an indication of virus or not? Grown and photographed by Paul Tyerman.
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