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From Legacy Bulbs Four on Wednesday 24th of June 2026 07:17:10 PM PDT
Eranthis hyemalis, winter aconite, is in the Ranunculaceae family, and like many members of the family is poisonous. Native to Asia Minor and Europe woodlands, it flowers in winter, usually ahead of snowdrops. Hardy in WHZ 4-7, and probably colder zones if well mulched, it may naturalize in part shade under trees and shrubs. It can be invasive where happy, and can be controlled by digging up when still green. It has naturalized in Ontario, Canada, and the United States south and east of the Great Lakes, east to North Carolina and New York.
From Lachenalia Species Four on Tuesday 23rd of June 2026 05:33:19 PM PDT
Lachenalia juncifolia Baker is found in sand or limestone outcrops in the winter rainfall Cape. It has two leaves with maroon bands and white or pink bell shaped flowers on long pedicels with exserted anthers. Height range: 7-40 cm. Don Journet describes it in his collection. "The flowers consist of outer perianth segments which have a blush tinge at their base grading to pink and finally a rose-purple tip and gibbosities. The inner segments, which are largely hidden, have the same dark rose-purple tips showing between the outer segments. The flowering season has been fairly short for me being the third week in September to the second week in October." The first photo from Rod Saunders. The rest from Mary Sue Ittner.
Lachenalia juncifolia var. campanulata W. F. Barker is a synonym of Lachenalia magentea.
From Hieronymiella on Monday 22nd of June 2026 06:29:03 PM PDT
Hieronymiella marginata (Pax) R.E.Fr., formerly and seemingly again in 2023 known as Hieronymiella argentina (Pax) Hunz. & S.C.Arroyo, occurs on parched, rocky terrain in extreme northern Argentina at altitudes nearing 3000 meters. In habitat, blooming occurs in November and December, just before the arrival of rains. On specimens shown by Arroyo-Leuenberger and Leuenberger (Herbertia 58, pp. 23-45, 2003-2004) basal leaf growth is present with bulbs in full bloom. Unlike them, the specimens shown here were hysteranthous, with no sign of leaf emergence during blooming. Also, coloration was uniquely orange, while the reference article reports other shades for this species. Height range: 30-60 cm. Photos 1-2 taken by Andrew Wilson. Photos 3-4 by Martin Bohnet show a plant with leaves present at flowering in a middle-European climate -- one can speculate that the presence of water decides this. The source for this advised to lift the deep-seated bulb in fall and replant in spring, but this proved unsuccessful for him -- the plants stopped flowering and one took the damage from digging up badly. Growing them instead in a deep pot and removing top soil down to the basal plate but keeping roots undisturbed for (barely) frost free winter storage resulted in the return of flowers in the second year after the method change.
From Eucomis Three on Sunday 21st of June 2026 05:36:14 PM PDT
Eucomis pallidiflora Baker occurs in KwaZulu-Natal. Eucomis pallidiflora ssp. pallidiflora is not as tall as ssp. pole-evansii and is reported to have a densely packed flowering stalk instead of a loosely packed stalk. Height range: to about 2 m.
Eucomis pallidiflora ssp. pole-evansii (N.E.Br.) Reyneke ex J.C.Manning, syn. Eucomis pole-evansii N.E.Br., is the tallest species of the genus, growing to 2 m/6.5 ft. It is native to Mpumalanga in South Africa and Swaziland and grows in damp grassy vleis. Even though it prefers wetland habitats in the wild, it will grow in average garden soils, if regularly irrigated. It has bright green leaves over 600 mm long and 200 mm wide that are wide at the base tapering along their length with a deep midrib. The wide open green to cream flowers appear mid summer, but may need staking to prevent them from bending over. The first photo was taken by David Fenwick. The second photo from Ellen Hornig illustrates how tall it can get. The third photo of the leaves was taken by Alan Horstmann.
From Delphinium Species One on Saturday 20th of June 2026 05:30:42 PM PDT
Delphinium decorum Fisch. & C.A.Mey. is a short species with dark blue purple flowers that grow from tuberous roots and is found in grassy coastal areas in California and southern Oregon. It has shiny leaves that are not as dissected as some species and is very hairy. Height range: 35-40 cm. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner. The last shows the roots on a 1 cm grid.
From Chlorophytum on Friday 19th of June 2026 05:13:04 PM PDT
Chlorophytum rubribracteatum (De Wild.) Kativu is native from Central through East and Southern Africa. Plants are grass-like, up to 45 cm tall growing from a short horizontal rhizome. Roots are slender with swellings towards the tips. The leaves are linear, in 2 rows, up to 50 cm with slightly ciliate margins. The inflorescence is unbranched with individual flowers sparsely arranged. Flowers are white to pinkish-white and seed capsules shallowly deltoid, approximately 7 mm long. Photos by Nicholas Wightman taken in Lilayi, Zambia.
From Tulipa Species Three on Thursday 18th of June 2026 09:04:04 PM PDT
Tulipa orithyioides Vved. grown from seed collected by Josef Halda in the early 1990s. Photographed in a bulb frame in Oregon in late February, by Jane McGary. This tiny tulip, only about 5 inches tall, is kept dry in summer. The species was offered in the 2004 catalog of Janis Ruksans, who also collected it in Central Asia.
From Primula on Wednesday 17th of June 2026 05:04:12 PM PDT
Primula hendersonii (A.Gray) A.R.Mast & Reveal, syn. Dodecatheon hendersonii A.Gray, is a species of grassland communities and oak and conifer woodlands where it is found in sunny or often shady places. It occurs from British Columbia, Canada, south to California. Common names are Henderson's shooting stars and mosquito bills. Spoon-shaped leaves are in a basal rosette and appear in winter. This species flowers in early spring and then dies back when the rains stop (late spring to summer). The flowers are inside out with magenta to lavender to white petals and a yellow or whitish tube with a thick, wavy, reddish to reddish-purple ring. They appear on top of a tall 12 in (30 cm) leafless flower stalk. The flowers are pendant when they first open, then turn upwards once pollinated. The seed capsules form small upright cups that hold the small (poppy seed size) seeds. When the wind blows or the dried stems break, the seeds spill out. This also makes seed collection easy: just pick the dried scape and spill the seeds into a container of some type for storage.
An article on this species and its ecology, also explaining the relationship to other Primula species can be found here: Dodecatheon hendersonii by Travis Owen
Richard Haard in a PBS list post reports that the offsets around the crown can be harvested to form new plants. Travis Owen reports that it is easy to transplant in the fall before the vegetative cycle begins. Any rhizomatous sections that accidentally break off can be planted and will form mature plants in a few years. Mary Sue has some planted in the ground and others grown in a pot moved to the shade in summer and not watered until it naturally starts to rain sometime in the fall.
Photos below were taken by Mary Sue Ittner showing the plant in various stages from bud to fruit. The last photo of the rhizome and roots on a 1 cm grid was taken September 2013 several months after the plant had gone into dormancy and kept dry.
Photos from Mary Sue Ittner were taken March 2016 where it was growing in Sonoma County, California on the bank on a shady forested road.
Photos below by Travis Owen of plants in habitat under Arbutus menziesii, Pseudotsuga, and Pinus trees, and among various grasses and herbs like Antennaria. First photo shows plants in bud, mid February 2015. Second photo shows the first flower opening in late February, 2015, note that the petals have not yet reflexed. Third shows mature plants under a pine tree. Last photo shows ripening seed pods, still colorful and beautiful. What is left of the stigma will pop off when the seeds are ready, creating a small urn that will spill the seeds when they are mature.
From Hyacinthella on Tuesday 16th of June 2026 05:22:13 PM PDT
Hyacinthella glabrescens (Boiss.) K.Perss. & Wendelbo has greyish-green glabrous leaves and deep violet blue tubular flowers on long pedicels. It is native to Turkey, especially the Taurus Mountains. Height range: 30-45 cm. Photographs by David Nicholson and John Lonsdale.
From Prasophyllum on Monday 15th of June 2026 05:20:07 PM PDT
Prasophyllum hians Rchb.f. is known by the common name of Yawning Leek Orchid. It is found in open forest and woodlands in well-drained winter wet areas in southwestern Western Australia. It blooms from September to November, often after fires. It has a hollow onion-like leaf and a crowded spike of 20 to 50 upside-down small (.8 cm) white flowers (green to brown sepals and white petals with a crinkly white lip.) Height range: 15-50 cm. Photos taken in Porongorup Park in September 2007 by Bob Rutemoeller.
