Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Amaryllidaceae => Topic started by: jshields on February 10, 2013, 01:16:23 AM
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The thing I have in the greenhouse right now is foliage. No flowers, except a few withering pauculifolius, so not interesting. On the other hand, the leaves tend to be more informative than the flowers in many cases for Haemanthus.
First, Haemanthus dasyphyllus leaves, which are light green and quite hairy. Dasyphyllus normally has two leaves, but younger bulbs may sometimes show either three or just one leaf.
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Haemanthus unifoliatus has one leaf, except that young bulbs often sport two leaves. These leaves are also quite hairy, but are darker green than dasyphyllus, and my plants at least have more red on the abaxial surface at the base of the leaf than is the case with dasyphyllus. Especially in the case of a single plant not yet of bloom size, you need to know the provenance to be sure of your idientification with dasyphyllus and unifoliatus.
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Haemanthus nortieri has a single leaf, at least my lone example of this species has only had one leaf a year. The leaf stands as straight and erect as a soldier at "attention" and when fresh has a sticky surface. It looks to me as if the single erect dark green leaf is indicative of nortieri and the sticky surface is definitive.
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This example shows the abaxial surface (underside) of the leaf and some rubbish from the potting mix still sticking to the tacky surface of the leaf.
I hope this is of some use to Haemanthophiles now and in the future.
Jim
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Jim,
I like the leaves too.
I have a Haemanthus barkerae opening its flower now. I will take a photo tomorrow. I also have a Brunsvigia radulosa opening the flowers.
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Haemanthus montanus has bloomed well for me this spring. The blooms are going over now, and I hope I get some seeds from them. I've been cross-pollinating among the 5 clones I have in bloom.
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Last year this time, the temperatures were over 90 F (32 C) and I got only a couple seeds from montanus. The temperatures have been much milder this spring.
Jim
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Haemanthus humilis hirsutus is in bloom now.
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This bulb came from Paul Christian years ago. The subspecies is native to the high veld of Mpumalanga, the Drakensberg Escarpment, Swaziland, and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. I'm told it is also found in a couple of places in Gauteng province as well.
Jim
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Haemanthus humilis humilis is starting to bloom. Native to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, grows and blooms in summer. Dormant in winter, pretty easy in cultivation in a pot.
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I need to give these a year off from making seeds; most of the bulbs are not flowering this year.
Jim
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Haemanthus humilis humilis ....
I need to give these a year off from making seeds; most of the bulbs are not flowering this year.
Jim
Now that's interesting - we usually find that allowing bulbs to seed does not weaken flowering in the next years - because the plant will stay green longer in seed and so feed the bulb longer.... but this seems not to be your experience with this Haemanthus. Bear in mind we don't grow these South Africans so the bulbs of which I speak are not fully comparable - why do you think this difference might occur?
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Without making actual notes on the subject, it is my impression that the leaves far outlast the fruit on Haemanthus in any case. I don't think setting fruit has affected how long the leaves stay green. This is, however, just my impression. No hard data....
Another possibility is that these plants don't bloom every year, and the cycles are just now catching up with me. If I can get myself sufficiently organized, I could stick some labels in the pots and track their blooms for a few seasons.
It is very hard to set fruit on Haemanthus montanus, while it has been pretty easy to set fruit on humilis humilis. H. humilis hirsutus is almost impossible to set fruit on. I think the difference between humilis and hirsutus is more than just that one of them is rather hairy.
Here is some fruit setting on one montanus. All the other 4 plants set at most one seed, several set none, and all with my own diligent hand pollinations.
Jim
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Haemanthus carneus is in bloom. This is very similar to Haemanthus humilis humilis until you look closely at the individual flowers.
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Then the stamens are seen to be shorter than the tepals. In H. h. humilis, the stamens are longer than the tepals.
Jim
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I guess my Haemanthus humilis humilis did not suffer from carrying too many seeds last year. They all seem to be blooming again just like before.
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I've already started pollinating again.
Jim
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Here are some photos from Haemanthus (and Brunsvigia) in South Africa:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10705.0 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10705.0)
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here is open for the first time H.humilis ;D ...after several years with waiting ...
have fun
Hans
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Well grown Hans.
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Well worth the wait Hans 8)
Angie :)
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Thank you Angie and David :D
...but until now the one and only...
Hans
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a lucky man has some new flowers now ;D
This plants are growing from seeds ex African Bulbs in year 2005 !
Haemanthus humilis
Have fun
Hans 8)
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I bet you are enjoying those flowers Hans, I just love them 8)
I hope to get all mine sorted out now that I am feeling better and my American visitors are away to London for the week ;D
Angie :)
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You just take things easy, Angela - feet up with a cuppa, enjoying the photos is good for you!!
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;D ;D ;D
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You just take things easy, Angela - feet up with a cuppa, enjoying the photos is good for you!!
Maggi I have been a bit lazy but enjoying the quiet of home. Hospitals just seem to be so noisy. I tied up my greenhouse this morning, so its all ready to take all my winter flowering plants. I really enjoy the greenhouse and its always somewhere to go when its raining and have a nice cake and coffee. I have so much chocolates to get through :). Thats one good thing about being in hospital lots of visitors bringing lots of goodies ;D
Angie :)
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new flowers are open ( Special for Angie :D )
Haemanthus carneus ( sowing 2005)
Haemanthus humilis "Keibolo" ( sowing 2006 )
the flowers are in this year not very big ( but thats the first flowers )...I hope for the next years !
Enjoy
Hans 8)
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Really nice Hans. I do like the white flowers of Keibolo 8)
I have got 50% of my winter flowering plants repotted. Away to Norway with my American friends for a wee holiday so the rest will have to wait till I get back home.
Hope I will get some lovely flowers like you have soon.
Angie :)
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Yes very nice Hans 8), and rewarding to see them flower after a long wait.
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Hi Hans,
a very succesful Haemanthus season for you!
Did you water them and then they start to flower or did they start to flower and then they get some water?
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Renate ,
yes ...until now the best year ever for my self sown Haemanthus ;D
maybe a result of my fertilizing with Phostrogen ?
I can not confirm the theory that all South African bulb plants like no Phosphorus ...this fertilizer has :
14 -4,4 -22,4 ( NPK )- I fertilize all my bulb plants with this
No - I have not watered before the flowers came ...
Sometimes I have not seen the buds before ( they must be very quick ) ...p.e. from H.carneus I have nothing seen until the flower was open
The next ( others ) flower are open soon
Hans
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next flowers are open today :D
Haemanthus humilis "Giant"
also sown 2005 - seeds ex African Bulbs
Hans 8)
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Haemanthus coccineus and Haemanthus sanguineus
The blossom peduncles are nearly so beautiful like the blossoms. It is an exceptional sight when the blossoms come out of the dry soil.
Very large patience and really good work Hans. Haemanthus from seeds!
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Here are some photos from the last days and weeks.
-Haemanthus canaliculatus - after some months 'summer-break' the leaves continue growth
-Haemanthus pubescens ssp. leipoldtii finally starts growth after more than one year dormancy
(sadly the plant i got as leipoldti from a swiss forum member is only coccineus.... >:(....also the amarylloides ssp. amarylloides i got from him is coccineus.... :-X)
-Haemanthus coccineus "Giant" from Colchester
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Flowering for the first time for me, bought from Paul Christian as sanguineus
"very attractive and ornamental dwarf form with rounded leaves. Seed originally from coastal grasslands near Port Elizabeth. "
Leaves like sanguineus adpressed to the ground, red stripes on leaf-underside.
Maybe a natural hybrid with coccineus, both species grow in that area
Here are the leaves from 2010
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4905.msg175391#msg175391 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4905.msg175391#msg175391)
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From left to right:
-Haemanthus "incarnatus"
-coccineus 'Breede River'
-coccineus "coarcatus"
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Haemanthus humilis ssp. humilis "Satans Neck" ("pustulated" form)
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Haemanthus humilis ssp. humilis "Swaershoek Pass"
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From left to right:
-Haemanthus montanus Cornelia
-Haemanthus montanus Fochville
-Haemanthus avasmontanus
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What is the fantastic out worldly creature at the background?
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Trichocereus pachanoi cristata 8)
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First one to flower for me, I just love them.
Haemanthus coccineus
Angie :)
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Flowering for the first time:
Haemanthus tristis
:D
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New photo from today
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New blooms: Haemanthus [coccineus x crispus] is in bloom, the first seedling from this cross to flower for me; hybridized and seed planted in Fall 2008.
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The hybrid is only a little bit larger than crispus itself:
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And finally, some of the unifoliatus are in bloom now as well.
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Jim