This lily is absolutely out of this world! It looks flocked.
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/images/unknown/Lilium_speciosum_var_gloriosoides.jpg
Robert.
Have you EVER?
And would I love to have one! L. speciosum var. gloriosoides or something like that.
Wow, what a beauty! Thanks for sharing...
Sorry People, but this lily does not grow in our country. It lives in Japan, according to a lily friend of mine.
Except for one leaf, I've never seen any lily leaf with that kind of vein pattern. -- just an observation.
If that's the first var. gloriosoides pic you've seen, you could be in for a treat. Apparently, the variety is quite variable. I have seen pics not so beauteous, and ones that make this pic just, well, very nice.
I did receive two gloriosoides bulbs from Chen Yi this spring. If they survive for another year or two to bloom, I will find out if that's what they really are. But I suspect Maxine is right. That lily would be grown by almost everyone if it were easy to cultivate.
Maxine~
Do you mean for zone 4 folks that it won't survive?
Actually, North Carolina has much the same climate in parts as Japan and I don't see how it wouldn't make it here. Maybe not in so cold a zone as 4, but really, why not in zone 7?
Robert. I'm not giving up on this one so easily. :-)
I don't know if Lilium speciosum var. gloriosoides will live up here in zone 4 or not. Variety rubrum is a pretty tough cookie in Minnesota, so I am hoping this one will do fine too. And the price was right. But really, I don't know what form of gloriosoides I might have, and Chinese identification can leave a lot to be desired. As someone said here, it can be a crapshoot (hate that word), but I am a betting man.
If gloriosoides is a difficult plant, I suspect someone, someday will find one that is more tolerant of our climates, and that will only happen if we keep trying.
Rick
I just realized I misunderstood Maxine's comments. D'oh!
Yes, this one isn't for sale here. Yet.....
Robert.
You're all gonna hate me. I have got one, but it doesn't have the heavy colouring and flocking like that. Nor do the leaves look like that, they are more like normal leaves. It is very tall and has 8 buds on now I think, not yet opened. I've had it a few years, got it from de Jagers when they were around, they had a few species, I wish I'd got more species now but these people just go when you don't know it.
The bulb was naturally very small, it's first year it just grew a small stem about 1" tall, I told them and they gave me the credit at nearly £8. It took a couple of years or three to flower and this is it's 3rd flowering. I was a bit disappointed as it didn't look as glamorous as the pic, bu tit may improve. I keep it in a greenhouse, it's nearly touching the tallest part of the roof. I didn't get the flowers last year, it had buds but strong winds whipped in and battered it to death, some glass panes had popped out and it got it's stem bent.
I've only got a pic showing some of the stem, but I suppose the leaves do look a bit like those above, except I think they are a bit too green. Its the stem at the back, of course.
Leftwood, I have thought of buying from Chen Yi but it seems a bit complicated, how did you go about it? Was the carriage reasonable, some sellers on ebay from China seem to charge a lot.
My point about the leaves in the first link on this thread is that all (except maybe one) are NOT lily leaves. Monocots (in which lilies belong) do not have that kind of vein pattern to the leaves. The only possible lily leaf in that pic is to the far right and center. The leaf points straight up, and appears to have parellel veins, characteristic of monocots. Look at any of your lilium leaves at home. None have any main veins branching out to strong secondaries. I'm tellin' ya, those leaves in that pic are fake (I mean not lilium leaves).
Chen Yi sells the actual plants quite cheaply. It is the postage that is the killer, and the cost of the phyto certificate, etc. A friend already had all that set up, and asked if I would like to be included in her order, and I jumped at the chance. We split the postage and phyto costs between three of us. But I don't think she include her certificate that is good for two or three years, and she already had.
I received 55 little plants and (mostly) bulbs, and my part of the shipping cost was $38. I though it was a great deal. If you want to D-mail me, I can tell you who she is, and she can give you more info.
Rick
I see what you mean Leftwood. I think the lily is growing up through a citrus tree. Not an attempt to fake, but a casually taken picture of a lily growing with something else.
The lily's leaves are in the upper right corner, one growing upwards, behind the citrus thorn and another behind the rightmost lily petal.
Robert.
This message was edited Aug 23, 2006 12:43 AM
You have thought the same as me, I was going to mention it looked like citrus leaves but got otherwise carried away.
Gotta go, back later, thanks Leftwood will do later.
Wallaby,
looks like my 2 test tube gloriosoides will take awhile to bloom! I was able to get these at the NALS silent auction this July. Now it is a matter of not killing them before they even make it in to the ground!
Test tube progeny? They must be the really good flowering genetics. Great score, lilyfan!
lilyfan, by that I guess you had some tiny stems on yours? I didn't know they bred them in test tubes. Mine hasn't had any real special treatment, I just left it in it's pot and when it decided to grow a bit bigger I gave it a bigger pot. I did have it in a shadier spot in another greenhouse when it was smaller, I was surprised it decided to grow!
I'm thinking this could be it's 4th year in bud as I remember 2 lots of flowers (last year's stem was so battered I just took it off), but it didn't do anything for 3 seasons I'm sure as it gained maturity. It would be nice if I got some seed or it multiplied so I could try some in the ground. It does grow tall so would need a protected spot. I use plenty of leafy compost, seems to do well in it.
Wait for the flowers, they shouldn't be long!
I was encouraged to get them out of the test tubes and into the refridgerator as soon as possible for 6-8 weeks and then grow them under lights for 3 months and then back into cold storage until spring and then plant them out in a sheltered location. I was thinking I salvaged about 5 tiny bulbs from the 2 tubes. I also got L. brownii (who is in cold storage) and L. parvum var. halliday (who is in a pot in a plastic bag tent).
Good luck lilyfan, it sounds like a long job. I wouldn't be so certain about planting them out for a while yet.
Just to whet your appetite, here are my buds
Oh my, did you ever..........whet my appetite! What curious buds, they are quite distinctive.
My little babies will remain in the house, either under lights or in the refridgerator until next year for sure. They may at that point be moved to larger pots or be placed in the ground. Of course......they need to live that long first!
Now let's see, if they live, and I can put them through 2 season cycles, and don't forget to water them, and don't over-water them, I can have flowers by 2008! LOL
Oh,Appetite whetted and chin wetted from drooling in anticipation. Crossing my fingers for a successful flowering!
Robert.
Look at those buds ~ they look like they have pincers!
I hope it isn't trying to get them on an unsuspecting passer-by! Yikes!
Robert.
I understand that those "claws" are specific to speciosums and many of their hybrids. If you have speciosums rubrum or albums check it out. They are not as prominent as in the gloriosoides but can be useful in identifying a lily that hasn't opened yet as a speciosum.
And so I just had to go out and check my L. spec. var. rubrum for the "tenticles", and so they do! I never would have noticed, thanks Pard! Still, I would love to have a "Little Shop of Horrors" lily, even if it wasn't gloriosoides.
FEED ME, LEFTY!!!!!
R.
Ha! looks like Audrey 111 has caused some excitement, the buds do have that 'feed me' look!
You know, it isn't tied to that stake, just resting on it. Now I think I ought to tie it just in case an almighty storm blows in, it does look bigger and has more buds than before. When you decide to tie something it mostly ends up breaking the stem with resistance, perhaps I should wrap it in cotton wool?
Or give it some of my blood?
It's so close to flowering! I must look after it! Do we have any sadistic dentists to sacrifice?
Oh, Do take all precautions!
We have let you go easy by not hating you for having it, but a loss at this point, well, I just worry for your safety.
You have been warned.
Robert.
Ok ok ok! I'm going out NOW to check on it......(with my axe, there is a railway nearby.....)
Hope you're wearing your chain maille!
Oh yes, I wear that all the time!
Oh good ~ I was worried. ;)
You all crack me up! :-)
There's a good girl!
;-)))))
Robert.
Hey, don't scare me, I won't want to go near that monster! I might just trip and meet with a..............horrors!
I think it's too young to do any real damage. Maybe just a nibble or two. A nip here, a nip there . . . wait, are the roots growing out of the bottom of the pot?
Dunno, daren't go and look............it's dark! I did pot it on to a bigger pot this year, so they could have gone RAMPANT.
Sure hope it doesn't tip-toe in to visit you in the night.....
OK I've had a litttle too much wine and am trying to follow this. Who or what is tiptoeing around?? The glory-clawedwhatsit?? *hic* It can niptoe over too my place I'm not afraid. I'll feed my obnoxious neighbor to it.
Sorry pardalinum, I already have an obnoxious neighbour lined up for it!
Moby, I have left a trail for it to the obnoxious neighbour!
WOW! That is amazing! Wallaby, I'm filled with anticipation.
Is that for the grand opening of Audrey 111, or the anihilation of my neighbour?