[pbs] Calochortus pictures on the wiki
Mary Sue Ittner
msittner at mcn.org
Tue Jul 22 10:20:29 EDT 2003
Dear All,
In the fall of 2000 Diana Chapman included a mystery bulb of Calochortus
weedii var. weedii in my order (I spent hours looking at the catalog
looking for the typo. so I could get the free bulb). It is a southern
California species that comes from Riverside and San Diego counties which
are much much drier than where I live. This bulb didn't bloom in 2001 or
2002, but didn't rot either. Last year I didn't get around to repotting it
and this year it came up and never looked like it was going to do much, but
stayed green and last week I noticed it was actually going to bloom. I've
had Calochortus abort so I tried not to get too excited. I grow it in my
area that I shelter somewhat from the rain (covered but open so the wind
does blow the rain in) and it has been the only thing left there that is
not dormant so every now and then I'd give it a drink. Today it opened.
Although there can be six flowers (and Will Ashburner reported 10 one time
long ago on the IBS forum causing some amazement), this one only had one
flower. So I suspect it won't be in bloom long. It is very beautiful
however and my husband has managed some amazing pictures of it. Thank you
Diana. Bulbs of North America says this one is difficult and short-lived in
cultivation. So fingers are crossed that this is not just a one year event.
The ones I have grown from seed from my friend Bob Werra I have had very
little success with after the initial germination which has been good. But
now I am determined to try harder. He says he starts his inside under
lights and doesn't move them outside until April. I started my Calochortus
seed this year in late February and didn't lose as many as I have when I
have started them in the fall.
As long as I was putting those pictures on the Wiki I got around to adding
the pictures of Calochortus argillosus which Bob photographed earlier when
it was blooming in June and hadn't found time to add. It is a very pretty
one and one of the species which multiplies by bulblets. See them both on
the Calochortus wiki page.
http://www.ibiblio.org/pbs/pbswiki/index.php/Calochortus
And I finally got around to adding another Moraea picture. This one bloomed
in late May. It is one of the ones formerly known as Gynandriris and this
one is a Mediterranean one that my friend Jana shared with me that she got
from Fausto, Moraea sisyrinchium. Another one I grow (from seed) blooms
much earlier in the year. Jana's note said it was from Marettimino (?)
Island. Could that be spelled right? In John Bryan's Bulbs he says this
species is not very showy and grown mostly for botanical interest, but I
thought it quite handsome each day a new flower opened. And the other one I
grow can be nice too depending on the weather when it is in bloom. If we
are having a dry period with sunshine it is much happier than if it is
blooming when it rains every day. So this later blooming one may turn out
to work out much better for me. Since these flowers open later in the day,
if it is cold and wet I miss them.
http://www.ibiblio.org/pbs/pbswiki/files/Moraea_sisyrinchium3.jpg
Mary Sue
Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers
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