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From Favorite White Flowered Bulbs on Monday 24th of August 2026 06:36:43 PM PDT
Crinum 'White Queen' -- flowered last year for me and was awesome, Kevin Preuss, Florida.
From Brodiaea Species Two on Sunday 23rd of August 2026 06:35:45 PM PDT
Brodiaea sierrae R.E.Preston is a diploid species from the Sierra Nevada foothills of California (Butte, Yuba, and Napa counties) where it grows in chaparral, cismontane woodland, and lower montane coniferous forest often on serpentine soils between 50 and 980 m (most species between 320 and 945 m.) Growing from 20 to 80 cm, it has violet ascending flowers with recurved tips and flowers May to August. It was previous included in Brodiaea californica and is similar to Brodiaea leptandra, a species formerly (and still by some authorities) considered a subspecies or variety of Brodiaea californica. It has larger flowers than those other two species with lobes up to 53 mm long and different staminodes from Brodiaea california. It has staminodes that are uniformly wide and recurved only at the tip with entire margins 1/4 inrolled. Brodiaea californica has staminodes that are recurved from the middle and narrow at the apex with undulate-dentate margins. Photos from Calflora taken by David Greenberger and Steve Laymon in Butte County and shared under a CC BY-NC license.
From Favorite Purple Flowered Bulbs on Saturday 22nd of August 2026 09:40:57 PM PDT
Colchicum -- is one of my favorite plants, and sometimes they look purple, sort of... Jim Shields in central Indiana, USDA Zone 5.
From Homeria on Friday 21st of August 2026 06:13:31 PM PDT
Moraea doleritica Goldblatt & J.C.Manning is known only from the Great Karoo where it is restricted to dolerite outcrops. It is 35-45 cm tall with one long linear channeled leaf and fugacious pale yellow flowers with deeper yellow nectar guides at the base with fine dark dots. It flowers mid-September and October; flowers open early morning and collapse by 11:00. It was named after Homeria was moved into Moraea so there is no synonym. Drawing by John Manning shared with his permission from the Goldblatt and Manning paper naming eight new Moraea species. Figure notes: A, flowering plant (without corm); B, androecium and style; C, style. Scale bar: A, 10 mm; B, 2 mm; C, 1 mm.
From Paradisea on Thursday 20th of August 2026 07:26:21 PM PDT
Paradisea liliastrum (L.) Bertol. is from the alpine meadows of southern Europe. To grow from seeds, sow in a well-drained medium and keep outside in the autumn through the winter. Seeds will germinate in the spring. Seeds can also be germinated using bottom heat (~70 °F/21 °C) within a month in September or October and can be grown in a warm house (Jack Elliott). Height range: 60-100 cm. Photo 1 taken in the French Alps by Hans Joschko who writes: I have seen this species in the French and Italian alps but nowhere were they as beautiful as in Ecrin National Park. We camped with them all around us. I have been unable to succeed with them in my garden in Germany however." Photo 2 of seeds by David Pilling.
From Camassia on Wednesday 19th of August 2026 05:16:05 PM PDT
Camassia leichtlinii (Baker) S.Watson has two subspecies, the pale creamy-yellow type ssp. leichtlinii and the dark violet-blue ssp. suksdorfii. The type form (in the botanical sense) is in fact atypical in the everyday sense, having a narrow distribution around Roseburg, Oregon. Height: to about 4 ft.
Camassia leichtlinii ssp. leichtlinii Photo 1 by Rodger Whitlock shows a seed-grown garden plant of ssp. leichtlinii. He notes:"Enthusiasts are warned that this form, like all other camassias I have dealt with, is a pest in a favorable climate, almost as bad as bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Every seed germinates and the bulbs bury themselves so deeply as to be very difficult to dig up. Fortunately, they do not form offsets, unlike the bluebells. Photos 2-5 were taken by Mary Sue Ittner of plants blooming in different years in different stages of bloom and the bulbs on a 1 cm grid.
Photographs by David Pilling of seed and a seedling on a 10 mm grid, this seed was sown on the 15th January 2013 and kept outside (temperatures just above freezing), and is shown on the 29th April.
Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii (Greenm.) Gould is widespread in coastal areas around the Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia. White (and pale blue) individuals of Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii are not uncommon; they are clearly and easily distinguishable from the creamy-yellow ssp. leichtlinii, which is often erroneously described as white. Photo 1 below is contributed by Kathleen Sayce; it probably belongs to this subspecies. Photo 2 from Mary Sue Ittner. Photo 3 from Richard Haard shows bulbs. Photo 4 from Pamela Harlow is of a plant selected for the especially broad petals.
Camassia leichtlinii 'Semiplena' is sometimes seen under different variant names. This semi-double form of this species is interesting for its tall spires of cream-colored flowers, nearly a pale yellow color. The flowers are on tall wands up to 4 ft (120 cm) and are rather fleeting, lasting only a day or two, then moving on up the stem. At it peak, at early anthesis, it's fairly attractive. Overall I think it's too tall, somewhat dull and inferior to the single flowered types, and no match for those with blue flowers. The plants go dry during anthesis, so need an underplanting of leafy perennials to conceal the drying growth. Photos by Mark McDonough.
From Boophone on Tuesday 18th of August 2026 05:28:08 PM PDT
Boophone haemanthoides F.M.Leight. is found mainly in the west coastal areas of the Western Cape of South Africa, but extends to the Bokkeveld Plateau. These are areas with winter rainfall. Plants grow 30-40 cm high in sand or dolerite outcrops on coastal flats or upland slopes. Summers are hot and dry. The bulbs are really large (up to 18 cm in diameter) and produce flowers in midsummer with leaves in autumn. This species has varied colors in the flowers, mostly pink to creamy white. From seed, this species took 14 years to mature for Diana Chapman.
The form grown by Rob Hamilton has striking large red bracts from which creamy-pink flowers emerge. The plant pictured in the first two photos was grown and photographed by Rob Hamilton. The third photo is of a large patch of leaves near Nieuwoudtville taken August 2001 by Mary Sue Ittner. The last two photos were taken by Cameron McMaster near Nieuwoudtville and Middelpos September 2011.
The first three photos shown below from Uluwehi Knecht are of the beginning stages of a cream-coloured form of a specimen bulb in UC Botanical Garden collection blooming for the first time in August 2010. It was planted out in 2006 from the UC Irvine bulb collection but took four years to re-establish itself to bloom. The fourth and fifth photos from Kelley Macdonald are pictures of the same flowering.
Pictures by Uluwehi Knecht show the nearly ripe infructescence one month after anthesis.
The leaves of the same specimen are shown in the first two pictures by Nhu Nguyen and in the last by Kelley Macdonald.
Habitat photos of plants growing in the coastal areas of Namaqualand. The first 4 photos of a colony near Komkans, growing on a sand plain. Photo 5 of a plant growing near Kleinsee, which appears to have dicotomized. All plants growing in deep sand. Photos by Rob Skillin.
Boophone haemanthoides ssp. ernesti-ruschii (Dinter & G.M.Schulze) G.D.Duncan & C.C.Tsang is from a single spare population of SW Namibia, with scant rainfall in winter and extreme temperature variations typical of desert areas. Summers are very hot and dry. The bulbs produce flowers in late summer, and leaves in winter and spring. This population is in danger of extinction in habitat due to mining operations. Photo 1 by Angelo Porcelli, photo 2 by Nhu Nguyen, photos 3 and 4 by Rob Skillin of plants growing in rocky terrane north of Rosh Pinah, Namibia.
From Solenomelus on Monday 17th of August 2026 06:25:13 PM PDT
Solenomelus segethii (Phil.) Kuntze is native from central Chile to southern Argentina. It has violet flowers, an unbranched stem, and narrow tough, fibrous leaves. Height: 30 cm. Photos from iNaturalist taken by Eitel Thielememann and Nolan Exe in Chile in December and January and shared under CC BY-NC and CC BY licenses.
From Tecophilaea on Sunday 16th of August 2026 07:04:50 PM PDT
Tecophilaea cyanocrocus Leyb. is known for the bright blue flowers and is now believed to be critically endangered in the wild because of over-collecting and grazing by cattle and sheep. Plants are usually grown in an alpine house or cold glasshouse where they can be protected from extreme cold and excessive wet, although they do need adequate moisture during the winter growing period. They should be protected from snails and slugs. Plant in late fall in well-drained fertile potting mix 2 inches or 5 cm deep. Allow dry summer dormancy. In the San Francisco Bay Area they enjoy full sun and flower in the middle of the growing season. Height range: 10-20 cm.
One, often two flowers are produced per stem in succession. The petals are of an intense, vivid gentian blue with a white throat. The flowers are 2 inches across when fully open. Photos #1-2 were taken by Bill Dijk who grows these to perfection in New Zealand and by Lee Poulsen who wrote of his photo (#3) taken March 2004: "They really are this intensely blue. It's a hue I've never seen in any other flower." Photo #4 taken by Nhu Nguyen shows the habit of the plant growing in a 4 inch pot. Nhu agrees with Lee that it's definitely a most beautiful blue!
There are three varieties listed in data bases as synonyms. They are not recognized by everyone. We are including the two most commonly grown forms under variety names since they are often sold and grown under these names. Composite photos below show all the forms together. Photos by Bill Dijk and John Lonsdale.
Tecophilaea cyanocrocus var. leichtlinii Regel has 2 inch, sky-blue flowers with large white centres and broader leaves. Height range: 10-20 cm. Photos #1-2 were taken by Bill Dijk, #3 was taken by John Lonsdale, and #4 was taken by Nhu Nguyen showing the habit of the plant growing in a 4" pot.
Tecophilaea cyanocrocus var. violacea Leichtlin has bright violet blue flowers and has great charm. Height range: 10-20 cm. Photos 1-2 were taken by Bill Dijk, photos 3-4 were taken by John Lonsdale, photo 5 was taken by Mary Sue Ittner, and photo 6 was taken by Nhu Nguyen.
The first picture from Bill Dijk is of successfully germinated Tecophilaea seedlings after 3 months. The second photo from Mary Sue Ittner shows the corms on a 1 cm grid. Photograph three from David Pilling shows seed.
From Maclear Two on Saturday 15th of August 2026 05:36:53 PM PDT
Disperis cardiophora is found in moist mountain grassland in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Photos by Cameron McMaster and Mary Sue Ittner.
Disperis concinna grows in marshy grassland from KwaZulu-Natal South Africa to Zimbabwe. The first two photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Aurora Peak. The third and fourth were taken by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller January 2010 .
Disperis cooperi is found in damp or marshy grassland from KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Aurora Peak.
Disperis oxyglossa is found in damp grasslands at 1400-2500 meters from the Southern Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Cameron McMaster at Aurora Peak.
Disperis renibractea Schltr. is found in grassland from 1400 to 2700 meters in the summer rainfall area of Eastern South Africa. Photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller January 2010.
Disperis tysonii Bolus grows on mountain grassland from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Mpumalanga. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Aurora Peak.
