Alstroemeria ?

[Diane Whitehead]

I have sown seed of many Alstroemeria species.  Seeds from exchanges, collectors, and Chile Flora.

They germinate well and grow for a while, but don't flower and then don't grow at all.  The soil of one of the pots must have been dumped in a container in which I grow wheat for the cat to enjoy.  This winter some grayish leaves with lengthwise veins appeared.  They lasted a few months and then began to die but decided to flower before disappearing forever.  Here is the flower.  I searched Chile Flora and Pacific Bulb Society websites for a photo of something similar, but couldn't find anything.

Each leaf is about 6 cm long, and the plant is 25 cm high, not counting the flower on top.

Ideas, anyone?

[Darren]

Diane - the colour reminds me of plants I grow from Plantworld seed as 'A. haemantha' - which is now sunk into A. ligtu. Though the description suggests it grows much taller I find mine in pots stay less than 30cm (if they bother to flower).

[François Lambert]

a bit off topic, but I have seen a documentary about professional growers of Altromeria in greenhouses for the cut flowers, and one of the things I remember is that they had cooling systems in the ground because they need to keep cool roots (which is what caught my  attention because I find this is ridiculous waste of energy).  Reading you live in a mediterranean climate  I thought that the roots may get too much heat in a pot during the summer which leads to unhappy plants not flowering.

[Martin Sheader]

Diane - I agree with Darren. This looks to be one of the many forms of A. ligtu. We find that most alstroemerias are fairly easy to grow, once you realize that they are winter growers. Growth starts for us in late July/August/ September with sterile shoots dying down around May/June. At this time fertile flowering shoots appear. We keep plants dryish in summer, with occasional watering. Pots are best plunged in sand, but be aware that they will root through into the plunge. If they are happy they will eventually completely fill their pot with tubers to the point where they will break the pot.
A few species we  have grown, eg A. philippii & A. magnifica need protection from frost, but most can take frost if the pots are plunged.

[Diane Whitehead]

Thank you all.

A. haemantha is among the 79 lots of Alstroemeria seeds that I have sown.

I'll remove it from the cat grass box and plant it outside.

Now, I hope that some of the other 78 will decide to grow again.