NOTE: Apologies to Anita and Mary Sue for duplication... Hi, Anita. You are likely remembering the observations of the late Sam Caldwell. I have a main bed of L. squamigera that is 4'x 48' long with bulbs planted 5 years ago about 4-6" apart in all directions. In that time splitting has occurred. I bring this up in an effort to help us visualize the potential quantity of flower stalks that can come up any particular season. Last season, because I'm stubborn, I daubed and tagged various random stalks with pollen from whatever other species was in bloom resulting in no seed, but this was a very small quantity of the population. When all was said and done, I DID get about five or so open pollinated seed that looked big enough and dark enough to be viable, but this is out of that entire plot, and I did not hang stalks upside down. I put these seed in a 3 1/2" pot and got no foliage this spring, but with a little bit of finger probing this summer I'm fairly certain I have at least one bulb below the surface (probably just a piece of bark; whimper, whimper). Chances are nothing will ever happen, but with this possible success, I wonder what might have happened if I had been able to germinate the seed in a sterile tissue culture environment. I bring all this up to suggest, if you want to pursue such an adventure, volume of stalks is probably needful. If you don't have such volume, keep your eyes open for properties that do. I know of one location in our area that has a large population, but don't know if they would give me permission to collect seed. Also, I'm of the belief you will find greater hope for success getting to plant stage from seed with tissue culture. Additionally, you may be able to attempt germination with less developed seed that you would otherwise be certain would not germinate under normal conditions. A quick note to everybody: Hawk moths, which I have not seen here since we moved to the new location 4 years ago (planted 5 years) have finally found my Lycoris beds. They are so fun to watch, and, like busy bees, don't seem to mind my presence while they find nectar. Hoping you all are having a good weekend. Quoting "by way of Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org>" <aclyburn17@verizon.net>: > Somewhere in the Lycoris literature, someone mentioned that cutting the L. > squam. bloom stalks and hanging them up (rarely) induced seed formation. > How long after the flower petals fade away is this done? > > Yes, I do understand that L. squam. is a sterile triploid (I've had college > level Genetics), BUT I'm curious to see what happens--if anything. > And if seed is by some miracle produced, what then? Grow them in agar via > sterile tissue culture? > [Hey, winter will be here before you know it, and I'm a housewife who has > plenty of time on her hands during winter.] > > Thanks, > Anita Clyburn > Terre Haute. Indiana > Zone 5B and the clay soil is rapidly becoming hard as bricks around here. > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >