Ferraria--PBS TOW

Lee Poulsen wpoulsen@pacbell.net
Tue, 21 Dec 2004 11:07:10 PST
I know I've said something like this before about a few other species, 
but this genus grows so easily here for me in the inland valleys of 
southern California that I virtually ignore it until it blooms, which 
it does every year. F. crispa in particular grows almost like a weed, 
and I think that it could easily escape and naturalize if it were sold 
at the regular nurseries. It also, as Jim Shields mentioned, produces 
huge numbers of offsets. The other species aren't quite as prolific for 
me.

The flowers on all of them have similar intricate features with highly 
frilled edges. F. crispa also has a characteristic scent that to me 
smells a little bit like chocolate at first, but with an unpleasant 
fetid undertone. This scent is very attractive to flies I've noticed.

I basically give most of them no care whatsoever. Offsets that fall out 
of the pot will sprout wherever they are in the fall. I've started 
several other species from seeds, but none of them have reached 
flowering age yet, so I can't say much about them.

--Lee


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