Bulb Day

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From Sauromatum on Friday 2nd of December 2022 09:33:17 PM PST
Sauromatum venosum, syn. Typhonium venosum, syn. Sauromatum guttatum is from the Himalayas and southern India. It has a twisted yellow to brown spathe that is spotted deep red or purple internally with a long-protruding, tapering, greenish or maroon spadix. This plant is dormant in winter and flowers in early spring. The first photo is by Bob Rutemoeller of one blooming in the Alpine House at Wisley Gardens in the United Kingdom in May 2004. The remaining photos are by David Pilling; seed was sown in April 2009 and the photos are of all of one plant; 2 to 4 are of a two year old seedling - notice the contractile roots; the final photo shows a new shoot. Many offsets are produced. From the chilly perspective of the North West of England, warmth is needed to initiate growth in Spring; around the start of October the foliage begins to die back.

This set of photos shows the results in 2013 when the largest plant flowered (four years after sowing the seed). The first two photos show the bulb on the 17th April compared to a one pound coin which is about an inch in diameter. Photos 4-6 trace the development of the flower at the start of June as an outer covering parts and peels back.

Compare the photos of the inside of the flower with Arum italicum. Disappointingly there was no smell from the flower. The cream colored band in photo 1 is the source of pollen; the pollen that has fallen through the flower can be seen at the bottom of the flower in photos 1 and 2. Photos 4 and 5 show the remnants of the flower and the appearance of a leaf.

These photos show that the flower appears and dies back before the leaves start to grow. Other bulbs (offsets from the original) only started to grow leaves when the plant that had flowered did. That may mean flowering is triggered at lower temperatures than leaf growth. As the bulb pulls itself downward it takes the seed head with it.
Photo 1 is of the above plant dying back for Winter. Although this may look like wilting, it is how the plants behave when temperatures drop and the days shorten. I store the bulbs dry for the Winter. Photo 2 is of the fruit which came away when gently tugged, shown on a 10 mm grid. Photo 3 shows some seed pods detached and photo 4 their contents; these are not viable seeds and good seed does not look like this. Photo 5 is of the bulb again, somewhat larger than back in April.

The following two photos from Jim McKenney show two phases in the life of this plant. The first shows dry corms which will sprout and bloom colchicum-like without being planted in soil. When I was a kid, the 5&10 cent stores received small crates of these during the winter for sale as curiosities. The next photo, taken June 9, 2005, shows the plants in the garden. This species is hardy here in zone 7 Maryland. The inflorescence is interesting and even beautiful, especially in groups, but the stench is awful. Unlike some aroids which smell like carrion, this one emits a pervasive reek of rat feces. The name I've used in the file name, Sauromatum guttatum, and the name used above, S. venosum, are synonyms. (guttatum derives from the Latin gutta for spot, venosum means full of veins).

Tubers and seeds Autumn 2009. Photo by Giorgio Pozzi.

Judy Glattstein writes: "These are images that I took on 8 June 2020. The tubers have been in the ground, here in New Jersey, for a few years and seem quite hardy. As may be noticed in the first image, one tuber in particular has by now made a nice colony. The second image shows a visitation of flies who clearly find it to be rapturously attractive. While the Dracunculus, when in flower, offers a stench that is impossible not to notice, there's no obvious carrion smell from the Sauromatum. And with this many you'd think there would be. The final photo is from July 2020. They have never before looked quite this luxurious - or should I say "rampant." Or even close. Mild winter, now adequate rain, and summer heat must have put them in overdrive."

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From Dandya on Thursday 1st of December 2022 05:47:31 PM PST
Dandya thadhowardii grows in rocky terrain and dry hillsides in full sun or shade among cacti and thorny trees in Guerrero and Michoacan states, Mexico. It breaks dormancy and flowers soon after the first rains of summer. Flowers look much like Dodecatheon in form, growing in umbels of small pendent flowers that are white, keeled with a green line, with anthers touching to form a tiny birdcage surrounding a small bright green ovary. Photos were taken by Dylan Hannon.

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From Miscellaneous Oxalis on Wednesday 30th of November 2022 04:10:32 PM PST
Oxalis magnifica is native only to Oaxaca State, Mexico where it is found in shrubby Quercus zones or low Pinus-Quercus forests between 1850-2200m. It is thought to be the intermediate form between O. nelsonii and O. lasiandra. The plants are summer growing and winter dormant. Dormancy is triggered by temperature and not water availability in cultivation. Photos 1-2 were contributed by the UC Botanical Garden and photos 3-6 were taken by Nhu Nguyen.
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From Roggeveld Two on Tuesday 29th of November 2022 06:57:33 PM PST
Cyanella lutea is found on clay or limestone flats over a broad area from southern Namibia to Lesotho, Botswana and including areas of winter rainfall, year round rainfall and summer rainfall. Photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner near Calvinia September 2006.

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From Juno Irises Three on Monday 28th of November 2022 07:24:14 PM PST
Iris warleyensis Foster is a Juno from Central Asia. The pictured plant and several others of this species were grown from seed collected by Josef Halda in the mid-1990s and supplied without species identification. This is one of the most colorful Junos. The first photo by Jane McGary shows it flowering in a bulb frame in Oregon in March, kept dry in summer and covered against rain. The second photo by Oron Peri was taken in its habitat in Uzbekistan. Bulb photo by Peter Taggart.

Iris 'Blue Warslind' is a hybrid of two Junos, I. bucharica and I. warleyensis. Bulb photo by Peter Taggart.

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From Arisaema Species Three on Sunday 27th of November 2022 06:50:50 PM PST
Arisaema heterophyllum This species doesn't emerge until mid June, then in a short period of just 2 weeks the plant grows to 5' (150 cm) tall to the top of the spadix. The first two pictures are of the whole plant, July 18, 2002. The next two are leaf photos taken July 2002. The first is a good view of the heterophyllous leaf, e.g. the leaf of the non-flowering shoot which is rather different, with broader, more ovate, deeply crinkled leaves with much fewer segments. All photos from Mark McDonough.

Smaller edition of Mark's plant grown by Arnold Trachtenberg.

Here a plant which shows its distinctive horse-shoe leaf and a twisted spadix. Photos by Giorgio Pozzi May 2006. These tubers came from Chen nursery by mistake in a mix with A. lobatum, A. serratum and A. amurense as A.60. They both have a twisted spadix.

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From Pancratium on Saturday 26th of November 2022 05:04:19 PM PST
Pancratium illyricum comes from Corsica, Sardinia and Capraia. It grows "inland" on rocky slopes and sparse woodland areas, from sea level to more than 1300m above sea level. Flowering time is May (April-June). The white flowers are fragrant. The Italian name "giglio stella", i.e. Star Lily, is a good description of the flowers. The large glaucous leaves (30-60 cm x 1.5-5.5 cm) appear at the end of winter, while flowering occurs in late spring - early summer, and the plants go dormant after a few weeks. It is the hardiest pancratium: USDA zone 8 and probably 7 in sheltered position with a southern aspect. Full sun, but in the South light shade. The photos below from Hans Joschko were taken in Corsica in May and June where he found them on rocky slopes at 800 m. The first picture is a habitat shot followed by a close-up. Seed on a 10mm grid photo by David Pilling.

This species has a rather short growing cycle and is slow to reach flowering size. Leaves last about three months only and the flower stalk quickly elongates together with the emerging leaves. Better a cool corner in the hottest climates. Photo by Angelo Porcelli.

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From Paradisea on Friday 25th of November 2022 04:54:21 PM PST
Paradisea lusitanica is a native to the mountains of Portugal and is taller with smaller flowers than Paradisea liliastrum. These pictures were taken in Wisley Gardens in the UK in May 2004 by Bob Rutemoeller.

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From Elythranthera on Thursday 24th of November 2022 07:05:03 PM PST
Elythranthera brunonis (Endl.) A.S.George is now considered by Plants of the World online to be a synonym of Caladenia brunonis (Endl.) Rchb.f. Commonly known as the purple enamel orchid, is found in coastal woodlands and sand plains in southwestern Western Australia. Plants grow from 15 to 40 cm tall. Flowers are from 1 to 3 cm long and wide. The upper surface of the sepals is a glossy purple and the lower surface is spotted purple or reddish purple. It blooms in spring. The pictures below were taken by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner September 2007 several different days in areas within an hour’s drive of Albany, Western Australia. We found variation in the color of the flowers and even some that looked pink, instead of purple, but appeared to be this species.

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