Lycoris behavior

Nathan Lange via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Fri, 16 Oct 2020 17:59:25 PDT

My Lycoris x squamigera have flowered here in Sonoma County, 
California (USDA zone 9b) each of the last four years. The bulbs are 
growing in a five gallon, black plastic pot instead of in the ground 
in order to maximize winter cooling. Not surprisingly, the bulbs on 
the south side of the pot consistently never flower. This is more 
likely due to flower bud abortion caused by spring/summer over 
heating than to lack of winter vernalization. I suspect our winters 
here might be too warm for successful flowering from bulbs planted in 
the ground where they would be more insulated from night time 
vernalizing temperatures during the winter.

Nathan


At 01:13 PM 10/15/2020, you wrote:
Not all species are the same. The genus Lycoris is composed of 2 
quite distinct subgenera. The subgenus that includes the spring 
foliage species most notably L. squamigera, L. chinensis and others 
produces is annual foliage in spring at the end of winter. They bloom 
in late summer and early fall months after the foliage has gone 
dormant. These species and their hybrids are generally quite cold 
hardy through Zone 5 and generally grow and bloom best no warmer than 
Zone 7/8.

At 09:05 AM 10/15/2020, you wrote:
This brings up another puzzling lycoris issue.  Everything I've ever 
read has repeated that Lycoris x squamigera flowers only after a very 
cold, long winter, which is why it flowers reliably in cold climates, 
but not in warmer regions.

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