Flowering Eucharis

Ben via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:04:14 PDT

Would someone be kind enough to identify this bulb, which recently bloomed in my hoop house. I’m in Zone 9.

Many thanks,

Ben


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 15, 2026, at 3:26 PM, Steve Marak via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
> 
> I sent this to Leo privately, since it's from me driving an AI and not personal experience (I haven't grown Eucharis). But as others are having the same problem - and at Leo's suggestion - I'll toss it out here with a big warning.
> 
> If the AI can be believed, all of the former Eucharis species (now sunk into Urceolina) come from fairly similar habitats - constantly warm, relatively high humidity, consistent rainfall most of the year. While they can survive colder temperatures and drying out, defoliation is a stress response, not something that routinely happens in nature, and not usually a trigger for flowering. It believes the correct procedure is:
> 
> - let the plant become pot bound
> - let it build up a "lush canopy" of foliage
> - *raise* the temperature - it suggests 80-85 F - and do not fertilize, or switch to a low-nitrogen, higher phosphorus food
> - after 4 weeks, reduce the temperature back to 65-70 F (about 15 F).
> 
> It thinks you'll have flowers about 12 weeks later. It gave this link in support:
> 
> https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/…
> 
> Again - caveat hortulanus, AI generated content. I try to limit the sources of information an AI accesses and keep it on track by precise phrasing and hard boundaries, but in this case I didn't follow up every link it provided, or try to independently verify all of its claims.
> 
> Steve
> 
>> On 7/15/2026 12:56 PM, Dennis Kramb via pbs wrote:
>> Mine never bloom either.  I've followed all the expert advice.  I've even
>> tried crazy advice like freezing it (cold winter storage).  The plant just
>> grows lush and green no matter what.  A local university conservatory gets
>> it to bloom in a temperature and humidity controlled greenhouse.  Perhaps
>> the low humidity is the culprit for my persistent failure.
>> 
>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 11:22 PM Leo A. Martin via pbs <
>> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> Does anybody have any suggestions for flowering Eucharis? I have read the
>>> Wiki entry and I'm not convinced the recommendations for drought and
>>> temperature stress are accurate, unless I've been applying them at the
>>> wrong season.
>>> 
>>> I have a Eucharis sp. I bought for my mother over 30 years ago from
>>> Tropiflora. The original tag is gone, but I definitely recall the catalog
>>> said they thought it has different leaves from E. amazonica. Of course, it
>>> may be something else.
>>> 
>>> She grew it in a window with bright indirect light and watered it all
>>> year, most years. Ambient temperature did not vary much, around 72 degrees
>>> F. At my suggestion she withheld watering in some Winters and allowed the
>>> plant to drop all its leaves. It was fertilized about 5-6 times a year with
>>> a 20-20-20 and micronutrients fertilizer at 1 teaspoon per gallon. During
>>> this time it grew strongly and multiplied well. It produced one flower
>>> once, during a year when it had been watered through the Winter.
>>> 
>>> I have had it two years. I have kept it much farther from a window. I have
>>> withheld water in Winter and allowed it to wilt between waterings one
>>> Winter, and defoliate the other Winter. When I water in Spring it produces
>>> a luxuriant set of leaves. My household temperatures in Winter are much
>>> cooler than in Summer, in the 50s at night / 70s in the day. Still no
>>> flowers.
>>> 
>>> I wrote to Tropiflora. They replied their database does not show any
>>> accessions other than E. amazonica. Their long-time grower has already quit
>>> as the company shuts down, but their bromeliad specialist doesn't have any
>>> idea what triggers flowering.
>>> 
>>> Leo A. Martin
>>> Phoenix Arizona USA
>>> Zone 9?
>>> 
>>> Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
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