[pbs] Comments on Neomarica
plcrawley
plcrawley at emeraldis.com
Sun May 27 17:33:21 EDT 2007
Hello all -
I don't have a digital camera now (it's on my wish list) but I'll
try to give you the differences between N. gracilis and N.
longifolia. Gracilis is the most available cultivar and it has a
flat, narrow leaf like structure that has the blooms at the end. I
believe that leaf (for want of a better term) is about 1/2 to 3/4 in
wide and is the same color as the other leaves on the plant. After
the flowers are spent the new baby plant emerges at the end of that
leaf and when it becomes large and heavy it flops to the ground and
then roots. That's the so-called walk away from mama. The flowers are
predominately blue and last only a day. There doesn't seem to be
many flowers on each stalk/leaf/whatever.
My N.longifolia is only about 7 -8 months old, but it has grown
fairly rapidly. The leaves are lighter in color than gracilis,
longer, and seem thinner. The flowering stalk is round, a bit darker
in color than gracilis, and has anywhere from one to five flowering
points on it arranged from the base to the upper end. The yellow
flowers, which remind me of Tigridia flowers are a clear yellow with
dark, reddish brown spots at the end close to the stalk. The outer
ends of the petals are slightly reflexed, with the entire flower
being about 1 and 1/2 inches across. They only last one day, but
each flowering point seems to have several (say 6 to 9) flowers that
bloom sequentially. After the blooming is finished you can see the
tips of the new plantlets emerging from the sheath that protected the
growing flower buds. I have not seen roots on any of these new
plantlets, but I'll keep you posted as they mature. The one rhizome
that I have has already split into two, and it seems there is at
least one more emerging from the base. It looks as though it will
propagate fairly quickly. The leaves, like gracilis has the one
"notched" side as the plant matures.
The cultivar N. Regina, which was supposedly found in Brazil, seems
much larger in all respects than either N. gracilis or N. longiflia.
I'm anxious to see what the flowers will look like, and how the
little plantlets emerge. That's why I asked if anyone had a plant
that had matured and bloomed. The leaves are supposed to be up to
five feet long, so it's going to be a pretty large plant.
I hope this gives you some comparison points that will allow you to
be able to differentiate between the various cultivars. I'm going to
stay on the lookout on eBay for other cultivars to grow. I enjoy
making comparisons on this type of plant. If anyone has any
questions, ask me and I'll try to answer them.
Paul L. Crawley
Greenwood, SC 29646
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