Ornithogalum

[Paul T]

Isn't there a South African species with a name as long as your arm?

Ornithogalum thirtythreeandahalfinches?

Cliff,

I always thought that a yard arm was something on a boat.... now I find out it is in your garden?

I too had the thought about finches as Lesley did. 

[Otto Fauser]

I think this is Ornithogalum bungei - we saw it in Iran

       Thanks Arthur and Oron for putting a name on my Ornithogalum , also compared it with the illustration in The Bulbous Plants of Turkey & Iran , it has to be O. bungei.
  I raised it from seed ages ago , sent to me by Paul Furse, and collected by him and Polly in Iran,
     Otto.

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Otto, for a sensible comment

I'm pleased to be able label my pictures too.

Lovely rain over a couple of days. Not nearly enough but Sooooo good. The frit pods are still green but some are starting to ripen so won't be long now. Your beautiful hellebore seed arrived safely and I'll be sowing it today. Many thanks.

[Oron Peri]

Too other early bloomers opened this morning:

O. chionophilum, an endemic of Cyprus with bluish-greened leafs
O. brevipedicellatum from SW Turkey. [Identity not 100%]
Both flower for a few weeks.

[dominique]

pure jewels Oron, thanks
Dom

[Oron Peri]

Thanks Dom,
O. brevipedicellatum has more flowers now...

[David Nicholson]

I could rapidly become an obsessive with these little Ornithogalum.

[Yuri Pirogov]

Thanks Dom,
O. brevipedicellatum has more flowers now...

Oron,
the photo of O. brevipedicellatum is named "O. fimbriatum"? A bit confusing.

[Oron Peri]

Thank you Yuri,
I have corrected the name now.

[Janis Ruksans]

This one is perfectly hardy in mid-Sweden. It came originally from turkey halfway between Antalya and Isparta.
It grows very flat something I interpret as adaption to grazing animals. Even if the colour is not spectacular I find it very charming since it is so early.
I agree that Ornithogalums are overlooked.
By the way, Can anyone identify it for me?
Göte

It is Ornithogalum lanceolatum
Janis

[Maggi Young]

This one is perfectly hardy in mid-Sweden. It came originally from turkey halfway between Antalya and Isparta.
It grows very flat something I interpret as adaption to grazing animals. Even if the colour is not spectacular I find it very charming since it is so early.
I agree that Ornithogalums are overlooked.
By the way, Can anyone identify it for me?
Göte

It is Ornithogalum lanceolatum
Janis

Here is the photo again... click to enlarge.....

[cohan]

i agree this is an interesting genus...i think there are a couple i may try outdoors here, but my main focus has been on south african species which i would grow indoors--some really fascinating miniatures! unfortunately, the couple of species i got from penrock in the fall produced 0 results in fact, my overall success with a whole batch of penrock seeds was terrible--a handful of seedlings out of 10 or more species in various genera... very depressing...

[Ezeiza]

Albuca and Ornithogalum from South Africa are indicator plants in that if with not fresh germination is a disaster.

Those Ornithogalum are incredibly senstiive to virus infection, particularly Oo. thyrsoides , dubium and conicum.

There are MANY Eurasina species you could grow outdoors although perhaps in an aloine house or frame.

Alberto

[cohan]

Albuca and Ornithogalum from South Africa are indicator plants in that if with not fresh germination is a disaster.

Those Ornithogalum are incredibly senstiive to virus infection, particularly Oo. thyrsoides , dubium and conicum.

There are MANY Eurasina species you could grow outdoors although perhaps in an aloine house or frame.
Alberto

thanks, alberto..
my special interest in the south africans is the miniatures (i love tiny plants) and specifically those with interesting leaves (tiny and thread-like, pustulate, succulent, prostrate etc) ;indoors the plants should be interesting whether in flower or not, in the outdoor garden, its less vital..
interestingly, it seems that many alliums--from california, oregon etc, and i think from turkey and surroundings have a similar set of adaptations and leaf strategies to some of the south african genera, and there are quite a few that should be hardy here(hard to be sure, since i dont know anyone in my area who grows anything interesting)..i'm very keen to try these in troughs and rock gardens

[Yuri Pirogov]

Ornithogalum sigmoideum