pbs Digest, Vol 44, Issue 2: Oxalis melanosticta

Hannon via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Fri, 02 Oct 2020 19:31:32 PDT
 Thanks to Roy for bringing this up. I had assumed that 'Ken Aslet' was
more or less indistinguishable from the form I have offered, though it
cannot be the same clone. It was collected by John Lavranos (Sutherland:
top of Komsberg Pass, Lav. 30507) in the mid-1990s. Every winter it makes a
beautiful dome of silvery foliage. The bulbs "divide" over time but always
remain in the center of the pot.

A few years ago I noticed seeds forming on this plant for the first time
and I planted them. The seedlings are identical to the original. The
original accession was two bulbs and it is possible that bee work finally
achieved cross-pollination; I have not looked for heterostyly within the
one large clump.

As to the flattened aspect, I have seen a similar condition in O.
pes-caprae occasionally, when the plants are in full sun all day in
compacted soil. It is a very attractive plant when growing like this, with
dense chocolate speckling on the leaves and flower stalks only 6" tall.

Dylan Hannon
Los Angeles CA


> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2020 13:55:31 -0400
> From: Roy Herold <rrherold@gmail.com>
> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>
> Subject: [pbs] Oxalis melanosticta variants
> Message-ID:
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> CAHtZ1NkWUK2Yhnr2X+m0o-TT1SPcoUwBsMxxDs6gfJaUe6rBBA@mail.gmail.com>
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>
> Everybody but everybody probably grows Oxalis melanosticta 'Ken Aslet'
> (sometimes incorrectly listed as O. purpurea), but few are aware that there
> are other forms of this species in cultivation.
>
> Periodically Dylan Hannon has offered Oxalis sp. Sutherland, and I ordered
> it from him ~15 years ago.It turned out to be Oxalis melanosticta, but was
> different from Ken Aslet. I finally managed to get a decent picture of the
> two side-by-side, see attached.
>
> The pot on the left is Ken Aslet, the other two are Dylan's. The latter are
> a good 50% larger, and just as floriferous. This picture was taken about a
> week ago--all of the pots are covered with flowers now.They have the same
> tristyly sequence, so that may be why there haven't been any seeds.
>
> I've sent Dylan's into the BX several times, so some of you may also be
> growing it.
>
> Finally, I'm including a pic of O. melanosticta in the wild, taken near
> Matjiesfontein.Has anyone here managed to grow it with the foliage flat on
> the ground like this? That's Gladiolus karooicus in the back, BTW.
>
> --Roy
> NW of Boston
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