Boophane disticha (aka Boophone disticha)

[ArnoldT]

ox = bous ( Greek)
phone =death by un-natural means

[Maggi Young]

ox = bous ( Greek)
phone =death by un-natural means

 By eating the huge bulbs or being bashed onthe head by one? 

[ArnoldT]

Grazing on them.

[steveball1966]

Bashed on the head would be less painful than eating this highly poisonous plant

[Paul T]

Boophone disticha- so it is, sorry, thread name changed now

Boophane  is quite commonly seen of course.  

Are you absolutely sure of this?  The references I've just checked (again) list it as Boophane as the correct name.  I checked that originally before posting the topic, because I knew there was often different spellings.

For your information the references I just checked were "Cape Bulbs" by Richard L. Doutt and "Bulbs" by John E Bryan.  I had checked John's book in the beginning, which is why I used the Boophane spelling, but with the Cape Bulbs reference I am inclined to changed it back to Boophane.  I haven't done so as yet though as I guess there will be discussion.

[ArnoldT]

I'd bet my Boophone's on it.

[Paul T]

Arnold,

Based on what?  I really can't find anything authoritative on the Net (Wikipedia isn't reliable unfortunately, even if it looks like it is) and when my only reference books have the spelling in them as Boophane I am wondering why they have it wrong?  If the bulb experts are getting it wrong, how can we the public say that one or the other of us is incorrect?

[ArnoldT]

Paul:

I'm still at work, I look over some reference stuff and post something later.

[Paul T]

Try sore-eye flower have a look on this site it is possibly the best I have seen for S.A plants
http://www.plantzafrica.com/index.html

Interesting that this one has a bet each way..... they have Boophane disticha and Boophone haemanthoides listed (http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantoftheweek/species_b.htm).  At this stage I'm still going to stick with the spelling from the reference books rather than the internet.  At least if I'm spelling it wrong then I am in the company of a lot of people in doing it so. 

Arnold,

I'll be interested to hear what you come up with.  Thanks.

[ArnoldT]

Paul:

Manning, Goldblatt and Snijman in The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs use the name Boophone.

Under FURTHER READING they state " Archer et al (2001) have motivated for the name Boophone to be conserved against  the alternative spellings Boophane, Buphane and Buphone.".

I'll check some old  HERBERTIAS.

Arnold

[ArnoldT]

In K. Kubitzki's "The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants" Vol. III Flowering Plants Monocotyledons

Boophone is used.

[Paul T]

"Plants for Warm Gardens. Volume 2." by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix list it as Boophane disticha.

Every reference I have so far found in my library (not that I've been through every book, just those that I thought might reference it) refers to the genus as Boophane, while your references list it as Boophone.

The reference in "Cape Bulbs" also says as follows....

"It is incorrectly spelled Boophone in Hortus Third and Buphane in others."

So in other words, comparing your list and mine, the spelling depends on who you're talking to.     That is VERY confusing.  Like I said, I looked it up in my books to check the spelling before I posted the topic here, only to be told that I and the reference books are wrong.    Makes it very difficult to know what is right?

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

I've changed the name of this topic to reflect the main duality in the naming.  I'm not doing this to bring this discussion to an end (I think it is quite interesting to find out more about what is actually correct), but this way both names are in the topic from a searching point of view.

[angie]

Like that Paul, I really don't care what my Boophane bulb is called I just want some leaves like yours.

Angie

[Paul T]

Angie,

If the bulb is still solid, just give it time.