Invasive Bulbs

[OrchardB]

I find it hard to believe that these Bluebells have not been obvious before.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-61583521

[Diane Whitehead]

I guess no one was looking under the bracken.   I had an arisaema remain underground for 12 years before emerging to  flower again, but hiding underground for centuries does sound mythical.

[Uli]

I don't think that the Arisaema was entirely dormant for 12 years. It was probably choked by the bracken and did not flower, so it was inconspicuous but still there.
As far as I know the only bulbs which are able to remain dormant for many consecutive years are those from very dry climates where it only rains occasionally. But Arisaema need to renew their tubers every year and need a leaf to do so.

[Diane Whitehead]

I have no bracken - that was the place with the English bluebells.

My arisaema was near some tall bamboo.  Very visible if it had bloomed.  It was when I hired a backhoe driver to come and dig out all the bamboo that the arisaema came up.

[Martin Bohnet]

Not sure about 12 years but I've seen Arisaemas skip one or two before, and I'm sure there were no leaves.

[Robert_Parks]

Not sure about 12 years but I've seen Arisaemas skip one or two before, and I'm sure there were no leaves.

With my cool summers, I sometimes get geophyte aroids (Amorphophallus, Arisaema, etc.) that fail to break dormancy at all (often new purchases that were stored warmer than my growing conditions). Quite distinct from ones that don't complete the growth cycle (actually pushing up a leaf) usually because of poor growing conditions (too dry)...they will produce a nubbin corm at the growth point, sometimes with roots, and try for a leaf again the next season.

[Diane Whitehead]

Well, one good thing about these reluctant arisaemas;  they are not going to be invasive.

[Wylie]

Uli: We have the Oxalis pes-caprae in the Azores. There are some of the little squares that the farmers have that are completely yellow with them. Cows won't eat them so there is no control.

The wild Allium is probably A. subvillosum, commonly called Wild Garlic. I have a few plants growing wild, but it needs to be thinned every couple of years. I do have another Allium that has fairly small bulbs and stalks that are 2 meters tall with purple flowers. I pull it out and it keeps returning - it is also in flower now.

Hedychium gardnerianum is an invasive rhizome. But the leaves are used when making traditional bread. My house has a traditional oven. It looks like a giant pizza oven and is built of lava rocks to help retain heat. You make the fire inside of it and then put the dough wrapped in the Hedychium leaves off to the side to bake. It grows in just about every dry stream bed on every island in the Azores. Tourists like it, so they don't go overboard pulling it out.

[Uli]

Hello Wylie,

Do you have a picture of the tall purple flowered Allium? It sounds quite attractive and is not necessarily invasive in a much drier environment.

Bye for now 

Uli