Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Amaryllidaceae => Topic started by: Heinie on April 09, 2010, 09:06:19 AM

Title: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on April 09, 2010, 09:06:19 AM
Here is my Cryptostephanus vansonii in flower now. The flower is 27mm in diameter. I could not take a better photo outside due to the rain.

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/loevenstein/IMG_2645.jpg)

Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Gail on April 09, 2010, 09:21:35 AM
Nice to see Heine - I have two seedlings just come up from Silverhill seed.  Any idea how long I'll have to wait for flowers?
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on April 09, 2010, 09:09:41 PM
Gail,

They flower in 4 to 5 years. It is really worth the wait. The flowers looks like porcelain.

I have a second plant starting to flower now. I have three seedlings of 3 years old too. They do not seem to make many offsets because the one above is 8 years old and flowering for the 4th year now and have not made an offset yet. I am hoping to add the C haemanthoides to my collection one day.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Alessandro.marinello on April 10, 2010, 10:03:29 AM
Heinie
lovely, and seems also with flower pink, hopes that also mine this year blooms
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on April 10, 2010, 11:37:51 AM
Alessandro,

Thank you. I will hold thumbs for you that your C vansonii also flowers this year.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Alessandro.marinello on April 11, 2010, 12:02:13 PM
Thanks Heinie you have forgotten to add pink ;D
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on April 11, 2010, 12:26:02 PM
with Pink shades as well in your flowers Alessandro.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: fermi de Sousa on April 15, 2010, 04:40:02 AM
...I will hold thumbs for you .
???
Is that like "crossing fingers"? I hadn't heard the expression before.
cheers
fermi
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on April 15, 2010, 05:43:00 AM
Fermi,

Yes, it is like crossing fingers. Holding thumbs ,with the thumb hidden and held under the other 4 fingers,  is used in South Africa as well as crossing fingers.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: fermi de Sousa on April 15, 2010, 09:09:24 AM
As they say in the classics, "You learn something new everyday"!
thanks, Heinie,
cheers
fermi
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Paul T on June 16, 2010, 03:25:16 AM
Gorgeous, Heinie.  I have 2 little seedlings coming along of this species, so hope they will flower for me somewhen in the future.  8)  As you say, they look a little like porcelain.

Well done.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on June 16, 2010, 05:58:24 AM
Paul,

The photo above is from my plant that I received as a flowering offset.

My other mature C vansonii plant was grown from seed and it flowered in her 4th year this year. That is worth the wait for me. They grow very fast after the second year it seems. I have 3 more 2 year old seedlings started by someone else and I can almost see them filling out fast.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Alessandro.marinello on July 30, 2010, 07:59:19 PM
my Cryptostephanus vansonii to be in flower, sorry that it is not pink
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on July 30, 2010, 08:22:43 PM
Well done Alessandro. She is very nice.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Alessandro.marinello on July 30, 2010, 08:36:03 PM
Heinie thanks, the flowers are discs of a valve in opening itself, the closing would have to last
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: PeterT on August 05, 2010, 10:02:00 PM
Beautifull Heinie, Allessandro. :D
Good to see what they look  like, the picture I had was in a book on Clivias which I sent back to its owner soon after I bought the seeds  ::)
Mine are two and a half years old, may be only 18 months to go? :)
Gail, Paul -The race is on to be the next to flower it :P
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Gail on August 05, 2010, 10:22:41 PM
Gail, Paul -The race is on to be the next to flower it :P
Mine are only about a year old so you should win!
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: JoshY46013 on August 10, 2010, 07:01:05 PM
Does anyone know where I might be able to get one of these?  They're very difficult to find :(

Allessandro, your pictures is very nice! 
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Gail on August 10, 2010, 08:20:35 PM
I got seed from Silverhill Seeds http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za/  They don't always specifically list their Amaryllidaceae as they need to be sown quickly but if you ask they will put you on their list and send details of eg. Gethyllis, Haemanthus etc as they collect them.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: PeterT on August 10, 2010, 11:11:34 PM
my plants came from Silver hill seeds too, but you could try Cameron McMaster, who also sends bulbs and seed from SA and is very reasonable and helpfull -  cameron@haznet.co.za or
africanbulbs@haznet.co.za
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: JoshY46013 on August 11, 2010, 06:16:19 PM
Strange enough yesterday PBS had a Bulb Exchange and Cryptostephanus V. was on it :)  How Crazy Is That?   :o :o :o :o
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: PeterT on August 11, 2010, 07:38:42 PM
if you are a member -good luck ;) :D
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: JoshY46013 on August 12, 2010, 02:31:09 PM
I'm a member :)  They have some great things on their exchanges!!!!!! 
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: jshields on November 18, 2010, 03:10:58 PM
Some of mine are in bloom right now.  I should go back and try pollinating them.  The seeds take a long time to ripen, and I get poor seed set even with hand pollination.  I grow them year-round in the Clivia greenhouse.  The old plants tend to clump up; and I suppose I could divide them although I've never tried.

My plants -- I have several -- seem to bloom at random times through the year.  I wonder when they flower in the wild?
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Hans J on November 18, 2010, 03:36:20 PM
Jim ,

one of my plants has flowered in last year in Juli :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3804.0

Hans
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Heinie on November 18, 2010, 07:50:05 PM
Jim,

I have two mature plants and they flower in different months each year from March to November which is basically anytime of the year although they are treated the same as my Clivias. My one plant is growing an offset now which is the first one for both plants.

I grow mine in the Clivia shade house too in a position where it is very light and warmer. It seems to grow stronger leaves with lots of daylight. I believe that the Cryptostephanus vansonii can grow in more sun light than Clivia but I have not tried because the wind will break off the leaves and make the plant ugly.

I am still on the look out for a Cryptostephanus haemanthoides plant of descent size. Hans, I am now very sorry that I did not buy that one two years ago.
Title: Re: Cryptostephanus vansonii
Post by: Paul T on November 30, 2010, 05:26:38 AM
Congratulations Alessandro. 8)
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