Lilium and allies (Cardiocrinum. Notholirion and Nomocharis) 2008

[Jim McKenney]

Lesley, here's what it looks like today.

The growth of this plant is very peculiar. It emerges very early, sometime in early- to mid-March. For the next two months the foliage becomes progressively larger yet remains huddled just over the soil surface. Then sometime in June the annual stem begins to lengthen and raise the false whorl of foliage up to over a foot above ground. At this stage it looks like a Hosta on a stick. Sometime in late June or early July the annual stem continues its growth above the false whorl of leaves; eventually the inflorescence begins to differentiate and bloom.

This is the only species of Cardiocrinum I've observed closely: do the others grow in that fashion?

[arisaema]

John: Is L. polyphyllum fragrant as well? Fantastic Amorphophallus, that's one I wish I was able to grow, they've always failed

L. duchartrei opened it's first flower today.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Jim, not at all what I would have expected from a Cardiocrinum. Mine haven't reached that stage yet.

[johnw]

John: Is L. polyphyllum fragrant as well? Fantastic Amorphophallus, that's one I wish I was able to grow, they've always failed

L. duchartrei opened it's first flower today.

L. polyphyllum indeed is slightly fragrant. Wonderful L. duchaterei there. Would you like to trade seed?

johnw

[arisaema]

L. polyphyllum indeed is slightly fragrant. Wonderful L. duchaterei there. Would you like to trade seed?

Yes, that would be great! I'll try selfing the lilies, and there's three fat pods developing on the yellow Nomocharis 

[johnw]

L. polyphyllum indeed is slightly fragrant. Wonderful L. duchaterei there. Would you like to trade seed?

Yes, that would be great! I'll try selfing the lilies, and there's three fat pods developing on the yellow Nomocharis 

Wonderful I will make a note. re: A. Konjac, you say you have trouble growing it. Do you mean from seed or is it not surviving outdoors? Ours set many offsets and can be sent with the Lilium seed.

johnw

[gote]

Jim,
According to the litterature both cathayanum and cordatum have this habitus of a whorl sitting high up the stalk. Giganteum and its variety? yunnanense are supposed to be pyramidal. However, there might be a taxonomic mistake somewhere. Cordatum is a Japanese endemic which means that it has been well observed. China is still in the process of being investigated and it might well be that not all cathayanum look that way. The ones distributed by CY have the leaves distributed along the stalk. However, there are no basal leaves on any of the two that are flowering for me this year.
Göte

[gote]

Arisaema,
Have you any news about the stoloniferous L21?? I have a number of plants of that type but no flower. I do not remember how I got them. they suddenly appeared half a dozen or so. I believed I had planted lopophorum in that spot and last year one flowered. (The open flower type which is not so cute)
On the second picture, the mystery one is in the background(twice)

By the way. Does anyone know about L papilliferum. Is that one stoloniferous too? I had one flowering (I probably got it as "red from Tibet") last year. It now seems to have appeared 3 dm from where it was last year but without any bud.

Today I have distichum, pardalinum, amoenum, duchartreii? in flower. I am pressed for time so pictures have to come later.

Göte
 

[arisaema]

Göte;

Yes, it actually opened today in the rain, definitely L. duchartrei.

>  I do not remember how I got them. they suddenly appeared half a dozen or so.

That's typical of some clones of L. duchartrei and lankongense, they produce multiple bulbils along the stolons which only need a single season to mature. If it weren't for the beautiful flowers I suspect they would be considered weeds...

John;

Thanks for the offer, but I've more or less given up on them. Every species I've tried has rotted, some during wet summers, others during winter storage, so either I'm doing something very wrong or they just don't like our cool, rainy summers.

[johnw]

re: Lilium souliei

This one from ChenYi is suspicious. Last year as mentioned before it was planted but took ages to surface as there was much rot on the bulb scales. It also grew about a foot tall when it finally managed to grow. It had bublils which makes me think it is something else. This year it is looking a bit more reserved in size. Does the presence of bulbils eliminate  souliei as a possibility? Several of these have sprouted in the pot.

johnw

[Paul T]

John,

As far as I am aware many species of Lilium will produce bulbils if stressed enough, even though they don't normally produce them.  Usually it is decapitation of a flowerhead that will trigger it in those that are more borderline on bulbil production (i.e they're those that would be easier to trigger it on) but I have heard that sometimes other species that traditionally do not produce them WILL do so in the right circumstances.  Whether the rot you mention was enough to have it panic and produce bulbils I don't know, but I thought it might be worthwhile mentioning it.  Any experts out there that confirm or deny what I have heard?

My only experience with it was a lovely yellow asiatic with dark spots.... normally no sign of them but one year the buds got snipped off by something when it was about a foot tall.  It responded by producing bulbils in pretty much every leaf axil of the plant, whereas normally there were no signs of any of them.  Only year it ever did it either.

[Susan Band]

John,
I am afraid that I have not heard of anyone actually getting L. soulei from chenyi no matter what you order. Mind you, you might be the lucky one
As for bulbils, I have found if you give a good deep top dressing of leaf litter on Nomocharis, Lilium macklinae etc you will find one or 2 bulbils below developing on the stalks in the leaf litter just before they go dormant. A good way to multiply specially good spotted forms.
Susan

[arisaema]

Do the bulbs of L. souliei look like L. lophophorum? There's another Chinese source offering what I think could be the real thing, but their minimum order is unfortunately quite high.

Below a recycled pic of Notholirion from July 1st, I'd appreciate if anyone could confirm if it is N. bulbuliferum?

[Paul T]

Lovely, Arisaema.  Only ever seen N. thompsonianum here.  Yours is very pretty!!  Liek the colour and flower form.

[arisaema]

Thanks, Paul, it is lovely, very quick from seeds as well