The Bulb Maven

Pamianthe peruviana

The stunning bulb from Peru, Pamianthe peruviana, is in bloom now.  This incredibly beautiful bulb is from Peru, where it grows as an epiphyte on tree branches.  The flowering tube is about 25cm long, and is so strongly scented that I can smell the perfume even before I open the greenhouse door in the morning.  They are pollinated by moths, I believe. 

My bulbs don't bloom every year, and in recent years I have only had one bulb bloom at a time, but this year two are currently in bloom, and (oh joy!), this morning I saw another fat bud emerging from a third bulb.  I think the production of these enormous flowers drains the bulb of so much energy, they just can't do a repeat performance every year, so I am very thrilled that I will have three bulbs blooming and the possibility of seed this year.  I have only once had seed from one of my plants, after which it took a couple of years to recover and start blooming regularly.  The seed takes 15 months to mature.  I didn't believe that, it seemed so strange, but that is exactly what happened with my plant.  I think plants from equatorial regions just make their own rules about blooming and setting seed, not having distinct seasons to tell them what to do.

I will save the pollen from my three plants and freeze it so that if I have one bulb blooming in the future I can pollinate it.  I have read that they will accept their own pollen, but this hasn't been the case with my plants.  Unfortunately, right now I don't have any for sale, although I do have a tray of immature bulbs, but separating them is going to be a big job, and I am not ready to do that yet.

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Hippeastrum idimae

There are so many species blooming in the greenhouses right now that it is difficult to choose what to post on, but this little gem certainly deserves a mention.  Hippeastrum idimae comes from Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janiero.  It is a recently described species, only being discovered or recognized in 2017.  This is a tiny Hippeastrum, the flower is only about 1" on a stem (in my plants) of 6".  I thought when the flower emerged it would be more like a Rhodophiala, but it is definitely looks like a tiny Hippeastrum, although it may be closely related to Griffinia.  This is a tropical plant that needs warmth, and it is safely ensconced on one of my heated benches.  I have little experience with this species, only having acquired it last year, so I don't know how  difficult it will be to propagate, and it might be a while before I have any to share.

The Telos Rare Bulbs web site has been updated for 2018.  A very big job that I have been working on for the last two months.  There are new pages for Babiana, Sparaxis, Geissorhiza, Ixia and Lapeirousia, but they are not complete, I am waiting to get pictures. Many haven't bloomed yet, and I am not sure yet of the quantities I will have, so please be patient and I will add availability and pictures as time goes on.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

 

Placea ornata

There is a lot happening in the greenhouses right now, but the most exciting event for me (other than the blooming of Leontochir ovallei) is the blooming for the first time of Placea ornata.  I have grown these bulbs for some years, but since I have the annoying habit of selling my mature bulbs, I haven't had a flower until now.  I am getting much more stingy about letting mature bulbs go, since several sources of seed have disappeared, so now I have to depend on my own bulbs to produce the seed I need.

Placea is a genus native to northern Chile. There are six species, and I have only grown one other, P. arzae, which, unfortunately, I lost.  All grow in very dry conditions, and I found them very prone to fungal diseases if not grown dry.  I now grow them in pure pumice with careful attention to watering.  I have only one flowering stem so far, and I have pollinated it, hoping it will accept its own pollen and produce seeds. The flowers are deep cream with crimson stripes in the center and if you look carefully you can see there is a coronal cup that is deep crimson or purple.  My plant produced an umbel of four flowers.

 

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Leontochir ovallei

Leontochir ovallei is from northern Chile, where it grows in coastal regions that receive almost no rain.  It obtains most of its moisture from condensation from fog, and it is considered endangered.  I received some seeds four or five years ago, and finally saw a beautiful bud emerging.  As I was reaching for something else on the same bench, I broke off the stem!!  I almost cried, but put the stem in a tub of damp pumice, and it finally opened its buds.  It probably doesn't look quite as good as if it had matured naturally, but I will take what I can get.

In spite of Leontochir ovallei's natural environment, virtually no rainfall, and growing in very dry rocky conditions, I haven't found it that difficult to grow.  I grow it in pure pumice with no organic material added, and I fertilize occasionally while in growth and water about once a month, but my plants are on a bench that get sprinkled with rain coming through the greenhouse vents.  The thick fleshy stems emerge in winter and grow from a crown, with rounded tuber like storage organs attached to the roots.  My non-blooming plants are starting to die back.  

 

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Hippeastrum psittacinum

I have often been asked what the 'secret' is to growing bulbs,especially ones that can be reluctant to bloom. While potting mix is very important, and providing an environment as close to the climate it grows in is critical, I would say patience is the most important ingredient.  Sometimes I have waited many, many years for a bulb to bloom, but eventually it does happen.

I have had a bulb labeled Hippeastrum glaucescens for some years, and it finally has rewarded me with a flower.  I was a bit puzzled since the flower did not resemble pictures on the internet and scholarly articles on Hippeastrum are few and far between, so identifying a bulb can be problematic.  I posted on the blog under H. glaucescens and a kind reader corrected me and says it is Hippeastrum psittacinum, also a very welcome species!

The name means parrot like, referring to the brilliant coloring.  It is from Brazil and grows in full sun to partial shade.  I have kept mine on my heated benches, and that was a lucky guess!

 

 

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Phaedranassa schizantha ssp. ignea

A few years ago I was offered this amazing species in trade for a bulb I had, and I accepted eagerly.  It looked like a mature bulb, and Phaedranassas are usually easy to bloom, but this one grew and produced one or two offsets, but no flower.  Two months ago I put it on a heated mat, just to see if it would stimulate it to bloom.  It worked!!  I was so thrilled to see a bud emerging.  this isn't the best photograph, since my camera has given up the ghost.  A new one is on its way, so I took the picture with my iPad.  A tiny snail got to it first also, but most of the buds are still intact.  Most of my Phaedranassas are self-compatible and will produce seeds with their own pollen, so I will be even more ecstatic if this proves to be the case with this one.

Phaedranassa schizantha ssp. ignea is extremely rare and listed as threatened. It comes from a very restricted area in Ecuador where it is threatened by habitat destruction.  It grows in subtropical conditions in dry valleys, and from my experience seems to enjoy a bit more warmth than the other species.  Hopefully, I will have some bulbs to share one day (not now, unfortunately).

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Eucrosia eucrosioides

This lovely species is from northern Peru and southwestern Ecuador where it grows in seasonally dry valleys.  I assumed it would need a little more heat that it would get in my cool climate, so I have kept my bulbs on my heated benches that are kept at around 65F.  Daytime temperatures can be warmer than that on sunny days, but our night temperatures can go well below 50F.  Finally, after five years they are rewarding me with their beautiful flowers.  I love Eucrosias, they way the umbel arranges itself in a perfect circle.  Each flower is deep orange with stamens that protrude like long feathers.  I have more than one accession of this species and two pots are blooming, so hopefully I will be getting seed.

 

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Traubia modesta

Once again I have lapsed in my posts to the blog.  I have many valid excuses which I won't list here, but I hope to get back to posting.  This is a very exciting time of year when you grow members of the Family Amaryllidaceae, and the recent blooming of Traubia modesta nudged me to post.  I obtained seeds of this extremely rare species several years ago.  He had rescued some bulbs that were in the way of road building.  It is an extremely rare species from northern Chile and I was thrilled to obtain a few seeds.  Each year a few thread like leaves emerged, and that was that.  This year I saw a tiny bud opening its flower.  I almost missed it, it is modest indeed, measuring only about 4cm high with flowers less than 1cm across.  One scape emerged, and I carefully pollinated the flowers and have two little pods developing that are speckled with pink.

One day I will have bulbs to share.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

 

Phycella bicolor

Phycella bicolor is native to Chile.  There seems to be some disagreement about whether this is truly a separate species from P. ignea, or whether they are the same species, and I won't get into that, since it is not my area of expertise.  The genus consists of five or six species native to Chile and northern Argentina. Fifteen years ago, I was given a bulb of Phycella bicolor.  It was not a tiny bulb.  Each year it produced leaves then died back, and I patiently waited for a flower, not knowing for sure if the bulb was correctly labeled or whether I was giving it the conditions it needed to produce a flower bud.  Finally, this year, in early summer I saw a robust bud emerging.  A fifteen year wait!!  The stem reached about 60cm, and the umbel of beautiful scarlet and yellow flowers emerged.  The picture does not do it justice, the flowers have a wonderful waxy texture and the size is dramatic.  I am selling small bulbs of this species, and when I pack them up I have to hope that the recipients have unlimited patience.  It will be a long wait.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Hippeastrum caupolicanense

I wish I had a lot of detailed information on this lovely species, but I don't.  All I know is it comes from Bolivia, home to many wonderful bulbs.  My small bulb grew well to blooming size in three years, and this year sent up a wonderful flower.  It hasn't been difficult to grow.  I keep it on a heated bench, as I do many bulbs from equatorial regions, since our temperatures here are cool to chilly.   I only have one bulb, so there is no hope of seed, but it does make offsets, albeit rather slowly.

 

www.telosrarebulbs.com