Dear Mary Sue and Pascal, Yes as Pascal mentioned the white Calostemma's named in Northern Queensland - Calostemma alba (R. Br. 1810) and Calostemma scott-sellickiana (Bailey 1905), have been designated as Proiphys alba (R.Br.) Mabb. Proiphys alba is indeed grown as far south as Sydney without the need of a glasshouse as long as it is kept dry during winter. One of our ABA members grows it - I'll ask him to comment on its cultural needs. It has really lovely foliage and flowers. The plant named Calostemma scott-sellickiana was found near Coen which is toward the top of the Cape York Pennisular in the northern Tropics of Australia. However, in examining some volumes of Queensland Flora's, I did come across some interesting facts about Calostemma luteum which is found in the southern, central and south western districts of Queensland. Very occasionally, a pure white form of Calostemma is found - moreover these are usually not growing with the populations of C. luteum? The author couldnt conclude on their status but thought a rarer red & red brown form which also doesnt flower with C. luteum may be due to changes to C. luteum colour when grown in garden soils? Calostemma luteum in QLD is found in the wild in a range of yellow shades. "Plants in the field have their bulbs deep in the soil and are not easy to obtain except by a lot of digging...........The species grows in flat country which is subject to flooding and may even be submerged for various periods after rain. Soils are mainly deep alluvial of heavy texture and very moisture retentive. Many of the natural habitats have been associated with the old flood plains of streams and are now being used for grain growing. The plants usually form colonys of varying extent but there are mainly dense populations open to sunlight or in very open forest in short grasses. The plants die back and remain dormant during the cool dry months of the year and quickly come into flower with the onset of summer rain." The quote is from Native Plants of Queensland Vol 1 by Keith Williams 1979. Most of the southern districts of Queensland drain into the Darling River basin, which continues toward the centre of Australia before turning south into the Murray river basin which continues through western NSW and then into South Australia. Further west the flood plains can also travel into the Eyre and Torrens lake regions. The periodic summer floods of inland QLD and NSW can hence distribute the seed of Calostemma over approx 2,000 kilometres of flood plains into South Australia. These are also the same distribution zones for Crinum flaccidum, which is often in flower at the same time as Calostemma luteum. By contrast C.purpureum is said to be mainly found on rocky ridges and close to streams in woodland in NSW, and South Australia. This information only reinforces the need for field and genetic studies to determine to what extent Calostemma has evolved into separate species. Cheers Jim Lykos Blue Mountains Sydney Australia Zone 9/10 Mary Sue Ittner wrote: >Dear All, > >After getting Jim's note I thought I should rewrite what I wrote on the >Wiki about Calostemma since there seems to be a question about whether the >two species in question should be merged. To add a new wrinkle I found in >my Encyclopedia of Australian Plants another species mentioned, Calostemma >scott-sellickiana. This one is white, blooms Nov-Feb, is from Queensland >and the Northern Territories and is described as attractive, very hardy and >drought resistant and useful for warm inland or tropical areas. It doesn't >like cold wet soils and heated glasshouse is needed for growing in southern >Australia. Anyone know anything about it? > >Here is my revised Wiki page: >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… >I hope I have rewritten it to cover the possibilities. > >Mary Sue > > >------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> >Your own Online Store Selling our Overstock. >http://us.click.yahoo.com/rZll0B/4ftFAA/… >---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >AB_images-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > > > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > >