Haemanthus 2007

[Hans J]

Maggi - I have also looked in my dictinaries ....it is all not rigth .
With "Beize" we mean a treatment ( p.e. by cooking when we lay the flesh in a "Beize" of wine or vinagre ...) a other is to treat wood with "Beize" -after this treatment is it much safer for the wether ...

[Maggi Young]

Yes, with wood this is against rot... or corrosion of metal, for food we would say a marinade... the meaning is not quite correct with any of these with the seed treatment... perhaps we should call it a "seed treatemnt" !! 

[SueG]

Hans
Great pictures - they are amazing flowers and the seeds too. There is something very particular about plants which flower without their leaves, whether these, crocus or others.
Thank you
Sue

[Cris]

Hi

Hans, the pics of the seeds are amazing. I've now some seeds of Amarillys Belladona, and they are seemed, they are also so transparent that I can see the little root inside it.

My Haemanthus Coccineus (I think it's this one) already bloomed and I think it is growing there some seeds. Is is completly new to me. Can you tell me what is the normal size of the Haemanthus seeds?

Michael, I also have Scadoxus, it's the first year I have it, the gave me a magnificant flowers. I think it is S. Multiflorus var. Katherinae, but as always, I'm not sure. And yours, are the same or another variety?

I let you a pics os my Haemanthus and Scadoxus:

[Michael]

Hi Chris.
mine is Scadoxus puniceus. It flowers on spring, without leaves. I never saw haemanthus, but from pictures, they look like a big agapanthus and are evergreen...

[Hans J]

Hi Michael and Chris ,

Not all Haeamanthus are evergreen - only albiflos, deformis ,pauculifolius, -the rest are summer - or wintergrowing .
A nice form of H. albiflos is H. albiflos f. pubescens - please look

I'm really glad that now we have here more members who are interestet for Haemanthus and Scadoxus !

Greetings
Hans

[Maggi Young]

Well , Hans, we can see clearly from yuor pix why this is "pubescens"... just look at all those little silver hairs on the back of the leaves 

[Michael]

Hi Hans!

Thanks for the information.

Well i like Haemanthus and Scadoxus, but they are very rare and very expensive to collect! But the flowers are amazing!

[Hans J]

Maggi ,

this plant has a interesting story :
A friend of has receive it - but we dont know what is is .....is was only one thin leaf .....after some years we could see that this is a Haemanthus ! - and my friend give me a offset .
After compere with my other H, albiflos I found that it is a big difference .....last year I had flowers for the first time and now I was shure it is a H. albiflos .
I had the chance to read last year the book of D.Snijman about Haemanthus ....and there is written about the form PUBESCENS ...now I was shure !
From a friend I have received in this year a plant of a H. albiflos ex Mgala River ( from a nursery ) -as I get this plant I was really surprised : they looks exactly my other plant ( this is the small pot on my pic )

[Maggi Young]

That is an interesting story, Hans.
Your first plant is growing really well now, isn't it?

 It is good when sometimes a plant DOES have a name which we can see really means something!

[Hans J]

Hi Hans!

Thanks for the information.

Well i like Haemanthus and Scadoxus, but they are very rare and very expensive to collect! But the flowers are amazing!

Michael :
Haemanthus are not all so rare - you can buy from some seeds and grow them .....( and you are young )
With Scadoxus is it more difficould - you can get only puniceus, multiflorus ,mult. katerianae ....al other are rare ! if you have big luck so you can get nutans ,membranaceus, pole -evansii ....
I have try to get the rest ....I have written to many many peoples , nurseries and Bot. gardens but more or less no chance -some of this plants are never more collectet because there is always trouble in this areas , the Bot. gardens have it .....but they give no material to "normal" people - sorry !!!

[Michael]

Ok Hans, you have convinced me. I think i am getting obcessed with them. I will see if i can find places who sell seed of them. MEanwhile, if you know a place who has seeds for sale, pelase tell me (seeds others than S. puniceus and H. albiflos).

And about the botanical gardens, why dont you try to "corrupt" them with other rare goodies? i have tried and it seems to work hehe!!!
 

[Hans J]

Michael ,

You can ask several nurseries in South Africa for seeds :
African Bulbs , Silverhill .....
You can look on the RHS plantfinder
PC has in this time Scad. pole -evansii !

[Cris]

Hi

Michael, my Haemanthus is not evergreen, the foliage you see is from a Hippeastrum. They were together in the same pot, but not anymore.
I thougt the Haem. was getting seeds, but not went away, they've aborted.
Now, as they has not foliage yet, I've changed them to another pot.

And it is almost impossible to get this kind of plants here. I found my two bulbs in a garden center, it was a discovery, they were forgoten, almost dead.

Try to contact Cameron McMaster from African Bulbs, I think they have some species of Haemanthus and Scadoxus.

Did your Haem. Puniceus gave seeds?

Hans, for me it is also very good to know that more people like these kind of plants. They are fabulous.

I think my Scadoxus is mult. Katherinae, what do you think?

[Hans J]

Hans, for me it is also very good to know that more people like these kind of plants. They are fabulous.

I think my Scadoxus is mult. Katherinae, what do you think?

Hi Cris ,

Sorry - I forget to answer for your question :
Yes -I think too that your plant is S. mult. v. katherinae - from this species I have two plants -but they have not flowered until today .
Not all Scadoxus are self -fertile -p.e. my Scad. multiflorus makes not any seeds .
But I know from a other Scadoxus it makes seeds succsessfull - friends has given me before some years a lot of seeds .
Same thing with Haemanthus : albiflos makes easy seeds - my coccineus has made 3 seeds - this Hybrid make not any ....
I agree with you  -it is impossibly to get more or less this plants here in Germany -the most of my plants ( Haemanthus + Scadoxus ) are seedlings or swaps from friends .
A good source is also "Simply Indigenous" from South Africa !

Good luck with hunting
Hans