[Australian_Bulbs] South American trip

Alberto Castillo ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com
Tue, 06 Aug 2002 08:23:42 PDT
Dear All,

Andrew Harvie from Australia has just returned from a trip to South America and posted the images of plants he has seen. People who might want to see those images can subscribe to that group: mailto:AB_images-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 

Alberto has commented on these plants and I am sending it on for those people who are not on that list and are interested in South American plants.

MS

Dear all:
              It is fantastic to know that Andrew have been travelling in 
Peru. This is a country where botanical and bulb research has not taken 
place for decades because of the guerrilla problem. This is no longer a 
problem but few plant people go there.
              The four pictures of Oxalises, are those of the type of 
succulent species found in Northern Chile and in Peru. Oxalis herrerae is 
one of them in cultivation. The one from Cusco in yours is very probably 
Oxalis carnosa.
              The amaryllid from Chile is probably Phycella magnifica, 
although a little earlier than normal. As you guessed well, the ones from 
Cusco are Stenomessons. The one you mentioned as pearcei? is pearcei indeed.
              The Bomarea we will have to check in the Botanical Magazine. 
The irid may be a Sisyrinchium or Solenomelus.
              Peru is so unexplored that any information on its plants is 
precious. For instance, Andrew dates for taking the pictures imply a lot of 
information. Can you add more information on the climate and wether the 
plants were in full growth or flowering without leaves? Those Peruvian 
plants we have grown in the past were very easy and adaptable.
               Will you return to Peru, Andrew?
Oxalis perdicaria is a dwarf species from the pampas with the bulbs covered 
with very thick rust brown thick tunics. There is a story that early 
travellers stuffed their mattresses with these bulb tunics in the absence of 
wool or feathers. Perdicaria means of the partridges because the native 
birds called partridges (actually related to ostriches) were found digging 
for the bulbs, that were immensely abundant. It also exists in Chile in an 
even dwarfer form, under the (invalid) name Oxalis lobata.
Regards,
Alberto


More information about the pbs mailing list