Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Amaryllidaceae => Topic started by: Paul T on February 17, 2011, 12:12:27 PM
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Howdy All,
I thought I'd post a pic here for those of us who might be growing this little Aussie native.... Calostemma purpureum. I have just a single stem in flower for me this year, and I expect that will likely be all I'll get, but it does mean that this planting in the centre of my crocus garden looks to be working, as they bulbs are now properly maturing to flowering size. Hopefully this is the first of many stems I'll get in the next few years. 8) This is a pink variety, unlike the "usual" red and yellow ones. I can dig up other pics I have taken elsewhere in the past if anyone is interested in seeing more of them. Anyone else who is growing them, please feel free to post some pics here.
Enjoy!
(Remember to click on the pic for a larger version)
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Very nice Paul. I don't know if anyone over here is growing them though, wonder if Darren is?
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beautifulst Paul, I have not never seen a form with opened petal, would appeal to me to have seeds of this :o
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Paul that is beautiful. Wish I was growing it ;D
Angie :)
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beautifulst Paul, I have not never seen a form with opened petal, would appeal to me to have seeds of this :o
Alessandro,
I think it is a timing thing. The flower seems to be upright in bud, outward facing and open when it is at it's peak, then the flower droops as you can see in the rest of the flower stem. I've so rarely had them flower that I haven't observed whether this is standard for other forms as well. By the sound of it you do grow some of these.... what colours do you have? If you don't have this pink then I am happy to send you some seed as these would usually set them I think. I'm never quite sure whether they're apomictic or not, but given this is the only one I have flowering, any seed should be pretty much true to form I think.
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Paul
thanks, I add a photo of the form that I possess
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Alessandro,
That looks like the more traditional "red" and yellow one from commerce. There is also a yellow form (formerly called Calostemma lutea, but now just part of purpurea) that has much more open wide flowers. Then there are ranges in between. I have posted pics in the past of red and yellow combinations elsewhere on the forum, which have the shape of the yellow but varying amounts of red in the centre. There is also a white species, which I have never yet seen in person, and a whole range of colours occurring naturally, which we never see in commerce at all unfortunately. ::)
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Hi Paul,
I did post a pic earlier of Calostemma purpureum(note the gender!)
at reply #102: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6624.msg186254#msg186254
I've grown the yellow form and Pat Toolan has the white form growing around her place naturally!
cheers
fermi
Edit by Maggi to add full link to fermi's previous post.
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Fermi,
You're spot on, I'd never clicked to the purpureum. I shall edit and correct. Yes, I was aware you had posted a pic in the Southern Hemisphere topic (I think?) but thought that the genus deserved a topic of it's own, hopefully for others to post in as well. Wishful thinking that more grow them. ;D
I do grow the yellow form as well as the red and the pink one I showed the photo of. I have some other seedlings from a friend that could be of unknown colours, so I live in hope. ;) Hopefully Pat can show us a pic of the white near her.
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Your wish is granted Paul
The white Calostemma - no idea of the species
Pat
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Pat,
So they open pink and fade out to white. A combination I've never even seen pictured before!! VERY nice!!!!! 8)
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name change of thread to Calostemma purpureum
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The white Calostemma - no idea of the species
Pat
Very attractive indeed.
As I've said elswhere, I wish I had the facilities to grow these bulbs. :(
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Paul what is the best reference to Calostemma to see if these have been described
Would be interesting to have a 20' x 20' native reserve!!! ;D ;D
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Pat,
No idea. My understanding is that there are a miriad of different shades of colour. The white that is known as Calostemma alba or Calostemma scott-selickiana (spelling?) from north Queensland I think both refer to what is now a species of Proiphys. I HAVE heard of pure white traditional Calostemmas (i.e not a Proiphys, but really a Calostemma) but never seen them, and there are yellows, yellow and red combinations, red (with the yellow throat, like my pink has a yellow throat), and other colour shades within that. I do not know if there is any authority on these, although I know there are a few Aussie collectors of them. If I had the space, I would grow a heap of them, but then I'd also have to find them available which wouldn't exactly be easy. ::) I like the blend of colours in yours.... it's white and yet it isn't. ;D There really aren't that many photos of colour forms of them, except I know I've posted pics in various places of the colour forms that are found at the Bot Gardens here in Canberra.
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Thanks Paul - up until recently it only featured as a roadside flowering that I would think isn't that lovely.
I must source the "Its Blue with five petals" - I have the Kangaroo Island one but not the Mt Lofty ranges one. It is a book "identifying wildflowers eaasily by colour and shape" - the book also gives you the non natives that occur too.
Good one if anyone is visiting Oz
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Alessandro,
That looks like the more traditional "red" and yellow one from commerce. There is also a yellow form (formerly called Calostemma lutea, but now just part of purpurea) that has much more open wide flowers. Then there are ranges in between. I have posted pics in the past of red and yellow combinations elsewhere on the forum, which have the shape of the yellow but varying amounts of red in the centre. There is also a white species, which I have never yet seen in person, and a whole range of colours occurring naturally, which we never see in commerce at all unfortunately. ::)
Paul
Calostemma luteum, now to be become a form of the purpureum? , I possess the l bulbs of the C. yellow, but never I have seen its flowers
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Alessandro,
Yes, apparently luteum is now a colour form of purpureum. ::) There's a lot of differences between them, but I they're similar enough to be together I guess.
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This is the form of Calostemma purpureum we grow,
[attachthumb=1]
[attachthumb=2]
cheers
fermi
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The two local forms of Calostemma
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Pat,
Good to see them in the wild. Very dark bract on the second one. Both very nice.
I've emailed you re the parcel that arrived today. Thanks kindly!! 8)
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Thank's to a generous forumist ( forum.. miss ;D ), I got my first flowers this summer, after short rest period, dark and pale forms, very showy :)
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Lucky boy ! ;D
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Great News that you have them both flowering. We have leaves but no flowers at present.
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Come on Pat !! ;D
It's only 12 000 km trip ;)
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Fred I am heading to London on 4th September for only two weeks - nearly a week will be spent on the Greek Island of Ikaria as well. My partner and the girls' father was born in Ikaria but came to Australia when he was two. Travelling with a daughter and meeting up with another daughter who lives in London. Having a few days too near the New Forest with some gardening friends. How I would love to visit France again.
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It's Calostemma time here again!
This is the white form which Pat sent me a year or two ago
cheers
fermi
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You are ahead of us Fermi. I noticed a couple of the pink calostemmas with buds just emerging in the paddock. Also a pink rainlily ex NARGS years ago just about to unfold its flower so I sure hope it heralds rain in the next couple of days. We had 14mls last Wednesday. That is the grand total since mid December last year.
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Here's the purple one we have - a bit different to Paul's, I think.
Our only yellow one is also just about to open!
cheers
fermi
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Here's the yellow form in bloom over the weekend
cheers
fermi
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If you have a spare bulb Fermi....?
Due to the drought the white Calostemmas are only up to 6" high - sorry old measurement.
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Some time ago Pat mentioned (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6624.msg186270#msg186270) that calostemma bulbs grow deep (> 12ins/30cm) in the open ground.
Does this mean that they are hard to manage in pots?
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Ashley I don't need to grow them in pots so don't know if they need to be deep. It might also be a method of keeping the bulb cool during our long hot summers.
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Thanks Pat; good point.
I think Hans and Alessandro showed flowering plants in the past, presumably pot-grown, so maybe I'll try long toms.
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My seedlings are about an inch deep after two years or so, no flowers though.
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I grow them in deep pots
I get flowers, seeds and seedlings 😄