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From Mendocino Sonoma Coast Six on Monday 11th of May 2026 05:00:05 PM PDT
Taraxia ovata, formerly known as Camissonia ovata and by the common name of coast sun cup or sun cups, is found in grassy fields not far from the coast from Oregon to central California. It grows from a long taproot and flowers March to June. Photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California.
From Narcissus Division Two on Sunday 10th of May 2026 05:38:28 PM PDT
Narcissus 'Delibes' is an early to mid-season bloomer with deep yellow petals and a wide, flat, orange-rimmed cup. Photos taken March 2007 by Jay Yourch.
From Saruma on Saturday 9th of May 2026 11:12:23 PM PDT
Saruma henryi Oliv. is from the mountains of China where it grows in shady and moist areas. It starts flowering in spring, is deciduous, and is reputed to be very hardy. The epithet honours Augustine Henry (1857 - 1930), the Irish physician and plant explorer who sent specimens back to Kew. Photos by David Pilling taken in northwest England, the first two at the end of April 2011, of plants grown from AGS seed exchange surplus seed sown in January 2009. The plants shown are about six inches high; the ultimate height should be over a foot. The rhizome is used in Chinese medicine and all parts of the plant are poisonous. It is endangered in the wild. Photo three shows a seed head; it is noticeable that the leaves are greener than in the older photos, perhaps as a result of being in shade. Seed is said only to be viable for a very short time; the seeds shown in photo six harvested in August 2013 were stored dry until the 14th January 2014, when they were put in a ziplock bag with damp kitchen paper and exposed to outside temperatures; they germinated in mid-February 2015. Anecdotal evidence: some dry storage is possible and exposure to varying temperatures is required.
From Sprekelia on Friday 8th of May 2026 05:27:42 PM PDT
Sprekelia formosissima is native to Mexico. They do best in well-drained alkaline soil kept dry during their winter dormancy. However, Nhu Nguyen grows these bulbs in Northern California where they get winter rain without rotting. Perhaps the very sandy and well drained mix of little organic material and a terracotta pot helped. They may survive such a treatment but they don't bloom as prolifically with winter rain. Gianluca Corazza is also growing Sprekelia formosissima in a Mediterranean climate with success in Z9b in full soil (calcareous and well drained natural soil). He has no problem with winter rain but summer waterings are needed. His plants showed to be self-fertile. Height range: 15-30 cm.
Wild populations have some variability, both in morphology and in physiology [CLINT, Plant Life (1962) 73-76].
They are prone to mealy bugs which hide in the crevices of the leaves. Keep an eye out for these insects as the leaves emerge. A little bit of fertilizer once or twice during the growing season keeps the plant happy. This species often requires genetic material from two different clones to set seeds. The mature stigma will be very sticky and readily accepts pollen. However, some rare population is self-fertile. Allow the seeds to mature and harvest when the pod breaks open, much like hippeastrums. Seeds can be sown directly into a well drained medium or using the floating method to germinate and carefully sown after germination. It takes 4-7 days for germination to occur using the floating method. It is recommended that the plants should be kept moist and growing for the first two years indoors without a winter dormancy. It takes about 7 years for a seed-grown plant to mature and flower.
This is a specimen that was collected in the central Mexican highlands at around 1750 m and is now growing in my garden. The color, shape and size are outstanding. The flower is as large as a hand with my fingers spread. The first rains here in Mexico, (roughly at the beginning of May) cause these flowers to emerge in the dry countryside. Photo taken in Mexico, April 23, 2005 by Dennis Szeszko.
Photo 1 was taken by Sheila Burrow, photos 2-6 were taken by Nhu Nguyen. Photo 1 shows the flower at the peak of its bloom. Photo 2 shows the bud. Photo 3 shows the plants and their habit. Photo 4 shows the stamens and a glistening pistil. Photos 5-6 shows a pot full of bulbs at peak blooming.
This photo series taken by Nhu Nguyen features seed development in this species. Photo 1 shows the maturing seed pod. Photos 2-3 show the mature seeds still on the plant. Photo 4 shows the seeds laid against a ruler.
The following photo shows ripening seed pods. This fruits were obtained by Gianluca Corazza after selfing each flower in a self-fertile clone. Germination was then very good.
Photo of the cultivar known as 'Orient Red'. Much more robust grower and easier blooming than the common species. Some years there are 6 or 7 flushes of blooms starting as early as January and going on until the late Fall. Photo taken March 2004 by Lee Poulsen.
After having "cleared" a bed of Sprekelia bulbs, this pink offset came up. I came near to digging it up and to the trash. I didn't, it bloomed, and here it is. What a surprise! Photo by Doug Westfall.
This is an unknown cultivar that seems to have lighter colored midribs than most. Appears to re-bloom easily. Photo taken in November, 2006 by Roy Herold.
From Anthericum on Thursday 7th of May 2026 07:43:13 PM PDT
Anthericum liliago L. is native to Southern Europe where it is found in mountain meadows. It has grass-like leaves and white flowers. These pictures were taken May 2004 at Kew Gardens by Bob Rutemoeller. This species is often received as seed under the name Paradisea liliastrum, a more desirable but less amenable garden subject that has funnel-shaped flowers rather than the widely flaring flowers of Anthericum. This and other Anthericum species are likely to self-sow prolifically in the garden. Height range: 45-60 cm. Photos 1-2 were taken by Bob Rutemoeller. Photo 3 was taken by Nhu Nguyen from the UC Botanical Garden.
From Sauromatum on Wednesday 6th of May 2026 05:03:27 PM PDT
Sauromatum venosum (Aiton) Kunth, syn. Typhonium venosum (Aiton) Hett. & P.C.Boyce, syn. Sauromatum guttatum Schott, is from the Himalayas and southern India. It has a twisted yellow to brown spathe that is spotted deep red or purple internally with a long-protruding, tapering, greenish or maroon spadix. This plant is dormant in winter and flowers in early spring. Height range: 2-4 ft. The first photo is by Bob Rutemoeller of one blooming in the Alpine House at Wisley Gardens in the United Kingdom in May 2004. The remaining photos are by David Pilling; seed was sown in April 2009 and the photos are of all of one plant; 2 to 4 are of a two year old seedling - notice the contractile roots; the final photo shows a new shoot. Many offsets are produced. From the chilly perspective of the North West of England, warmth is needed to initiate growth in Spring; around the start of October the foliage begins to die back.
This set of photos shows the results in 2013 when the largest plant flowered (four years after sowing the seed). The first two photos show the bulb on the 17th April compared to a one pound coin which is about an inch in diameter. Photos 4-6 trace the development of the flower at the start of June as an outer covering parts and peels back.
Compare the photos of the inside of the flower with Arum italicum. Disappointingly there was no smell from the flower. The cream colored band in photo 1 is the source of pollen; the pollen that has fallen through the flower can be seen at the bottom of the flower in photos 1 and 2. Photos 4 and 5 show the remnants of the flower and the appearance of a leaf.
These photos show that the flower appears and dies back before the leaves start to grow. Other bulbs (offsets from the original) only started to grow leaves when the plant that had flowered did. That may mean flowering is triggered at lower temperatures than leaf growth. As the bulb pulls itself downward it takes the seed head with it. Photo 1 is of the above plant dying back for Winter. Although this may look like wilting, it is how the plants behave when temperatures drop and the days shorten. I store the bulbs dry for the Winter. Photo 2 is of the fruit which came away when gently tugged, shown on a 10 mm grid. Photo 3 shows some seed pods detached and photo 4 their contents; these are not viable seeds and good seed does not look like this. Photo 5 is of the bulb again, somewhat larger than back in April.
The following two photos from Jim McKenney show two phases in the life of this plant. The first shows dry corms which will sprout and bloom colchicum-like without being planted in soil. When I was a kid, the 5&10 cent stores received small crates of these during the winter for sale as curiosities. The next photo, taken June 9, 2005, shows the plants in the garden. This species is hardy here in zone 7 Maryland. The inflorescence is interesting and even beautiful, especially in groups, but the stench is awful. Unlike some aroids which smell like carrion, this one emits a pervasive reek of rat feces. The name I've used in the file name, Sauromatum guttatum, and the name used above, S. venosum, are synonyms. (guttatum derives from the Latin gutta for spot, venosum means full of veins).
Tubers and seeds Autumn 2009. Photo by Giorgio Pozzi.
Judy Glattstein writes: "These are images that I took on 8 June 2020. The tubers have been in the ground, here in New Jersey, for a few years and seem quite hardy. As may be noticed in the first image, one tuber in particular has by now made a nice colony. The second image shows a visitation of flies who clearly find it to be rapturously attractive. While the Dracunculus, when in flower, offers a stench that is impossible not to notice, there's no obvious carrion smell from the Sauromatum. And with this many you'd think there would be. The final photo is from July 2020. They have never before looked quite this luxurious - or should I say "rampant." Or even close. Mild winter, now adequate rain, and summer heat must have put them in overdrive."
Photos by Arnold Trachtenberg showing the heat generated by the flower. Arum has similar thermogenic flowers.
From Barberetta on Tuesday 5th of May 2026 05:44:12 PM PDT
Barberetta aurea Harv. is a tuberous species that grows in colonies, in forests on wet rocky forest floor, up to 1600 m and flowers November-March. It has long leaves broader at the middle and tapering gradually at both ends and yellow flowers with an orange spot at the base of the upper tepals and grows to 30 cm. The first four photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Satansnek Pass. The last photo taken by Mary Sue Ittner at the same place.
From Watsonia Two on Monday 4th of May 2026 05:10:29 PM PDT
Watsonia borbonica (Pourret) Goldblatt is a species from the Northwest and Southwest Cape where it is found on rocky sandstone slopes, on granite and clay at various elevations and blooming at different times from spring to summer. It grows from 50 to 200 cm and blooms best in the wild after a fire. It has large sword-shaped leaves and mostly purple-pink, occasionally white flowers. Detailed information about this species can be found on the South African National Biodiversity Institute's website. The first photo was taken in Alan Horstmann's yard in 2006. Photos two and three were taken at Lion's Head in the Table Mountain National Park showing flowers being pollinated by beetles. Those three photos were taken by Mary Sue Ittner. The last photo was taken at Drayton by Cameron McMaster.
Watsonia borbonica subsp. ardernei (Sander) Goldblatt has stamens that are bent downwards and anthers that lie flat but rise towards the tip. Height range: up to 2 m. The first photo was taken by Alan Horstmann. The next two photos were taken in the Overberg by Cameron McMaster after a fire. There is a tall form in cultivation that has white flowers known as 'Ardern's White' that has been growing in Southern California gardens for over 50 years.
Watsonia borbonica subsp. borbonica has stamens that are bow-shaped to horizontal and horizontal anthers. Photo by Alan Horstmann.
From Marah on Sunday 3rd of May 2026 05:18:20 PM PDT
Marah macrocarpa (Greene) Greene is found on dry slopes from Santa Barbara, California south to Baja. The male flowers look like flat stars and the fruit is oblong and densely spiny. Previously known as Marah macrocarpus, this note in the Jepson Interchange for California Floristics explains the name change: "Correspondence 1 indicates that Marah is properly treated as feminine. [Therefore, spelling of epithet corrected to Marah macrocarpa (Greene) Greene, from Marah macrocarpus (Greene) Greene previously in this Index, 15 Feb 2011.]" Height range: 15-20 ft. Johannes-Ulrich Urban holds a fruit he found in southern California. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller.
From Fessia on Saturday 2nd of May 2026 06:23:36 PM PDT
Fessia puschkinioides (Regel) Speta, syn. Scilla puschkinioides Regel, is native to Soviet Central Asia on mountain slopes. It is easy to grow, but not very showy with white or pale blue starry flowers. Height: 10-15 cm. First photo by John Lonsdale, 2nd and 3rd photos of the two color forms taken in their habitat in Tajikistan by Oron Peri.
