Rhodophiala bagnoldii, anyone growing them?

This is a bulb of the Amaryllis/Hippeastrum family. I got seeds of a yellow and an orange form, the yellow ones I'm not sure will germinate as they started to go mouldy but I have 7 out of 10 seeds of the orange ones germinated.

I sowed the yellow ones so they may be OK (they didn't squish), hoping as they are so pretty!

http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Rhodophiala/Rhodophiala_bagnoldii_OB1.jpg

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Rhodophiala

Does anyone grow them?

yes--but you already know this. I also grow 3 other Rhodophiala seeds too. I'm assuming you diod not want to hear from me. =)

Never assume that Deb, have you got any pics? I don't know how old yours are, would love to see them.

You should get good germination with your R bagnoldii! I would say at least 7 out of 10!

Try 10 out of 10 Janet--I'm at work, unfortunately...pics aren't on this computer. Fortunately I may go home in 10 minutes. =0)

DMJ, Is this a plant that does well in the ground in Houston? I am always looking for something new to grow, especially bulbs and we have very similar climates. I love benefiting from other peoples research! What other uncommon bulbs have you had luck with?

Hi wally b, you always have such interesting plants.

This is not a bulb, it is a bed of cheeky, yet colorful, Nasties I grew from seed

I don't think this pic is all that interesting--these are 2yr old--started from seed about this time of year. I pulled them out into full sun for the first time in Sept., they are trying to go dormant but all this rain is confusing them I think. I also started some about 3 months ago--they look like the other Glad pic I showed you.

As I explained, I don't use that germination method and get nearly 100%. Do not try that on the Cooperia's I sent or they will rot for sure. Like I said not much to see here, they are in a really deep pot (all the Rhodo's I have travel deep) sitting on top of a pot covering a sawed off fence post. Right behind them is a bunch of LA iris which should put on quite a show in 1.5-2 months after all this rain. I'll take you another shot of this pot then so at least there will be an interesting background. =)

Well forgot the pic.

Dale; so far, most of the species grow real well--we shall see if this species will bloom this spring or not. It should be dormant, but as you can see, it is not. R bifida both red and pink varieties do exceptionally well here. I have these 2 yr old R bagnoldi (as well as some 3 mo old seedlings) and some 1 year old R advena and a few (I mean 3 bulbs) white R bififida and some ungerminated seeds of R advena and R mendocino (that would would make a really dull photo--a pot of dirt--planted last weekend). Have 20 yr old red R bifida's and some 4 yr old pink and a few new bulbs this fall of the pink.

We shall see what we shall see this summer....

Wallaby, I bought some R. bagnoldi seeds from Ursula and am excited beyond words that they have germinated.
DMJ is the pic above of r. bagnoldi 2 yr old? I hope I don't kill them before they get to that stage. very nice.

yes vossner, but it still has not bloomed and should be dormant now.

OK Deb, got that about the Cooperia, I was thinking of asking you. What temp is best for them? And Cypella?

The pic of your 2 year olds is actually quite interesting, I can see a couple of them making a tall neck like Crinums do. How well do your 20 year old R bifida flower? Are your older ones in the ground?

Voss, before long you will be germinating all sorts, it is fun isn't it! I got my seed about a year ago from the person who put the pic on the PBS, I am pleased they are germinating after that time!

There is a section at the top of the page on the PBS giving the conditions they grow in.

Hi dala e , I have a lot more up my sleeve too, I had 12 lots of seed ready to sow today but only got 5 in, other things to do, it was a warm day! I have sowed so may seeds already I couldn't count them, lots more to go. They say it's best to sow on a full moon, which is now, so tomorrow I will be at it again. January was the warmest on record, just as well or I would never get it all done! Have you seen all the species Gladiolus I'm growing?

All the Rhodo's have tall necks--this one needs some more soil added on top after the endless rains have compacted it so bad. Yes all the R bifida's are in the ground--this one I want to see bloom first them they will go in the ground. All of the bifidas (both pink and red) bloom really well--they are well suited for the south. I know people in Texas growing other Rhodophiala--but they are all "bulb collectors" too. You can start those rain lilies now--I'll put directions in a letter.

Full moon, huh? That explains the strange behavior of people today.

There's an interesting thread going about the influence of the moon on seed germination. Some of us are considering experimenting; I love playing mad plant scientist, lol.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/688262/

I got some R. bagnoldi from Ursula last year. They germinated quite freely and are now into their second year but are still pretty small...I expect several years before they bloom.

I think if we were in warmer climes they would flower sooner Todd. I would expect you to have some too!

I put mine in compost yesterday, the first to germinate was already growing a leaf. I haven't had any of the others germinate yet, I have R advena floating too and one was starting to grow a root so I sowed them. They may just need a bit longer (hopefully), but they are all a year old, last winter was just too long and too cold to do anything. These need to be at 15C, which it is when it's cold at the back of my kitchen/diner.

Others I got that are similar, but need to be at 5C are Placea ornata, Placea arzae, and Phycella ignea. They are in the garage floating, so far look good and we are expecting another week of cold weather so I hope they do something. I was contemplating sowing them today too but had other seeds to sow. The instructions are to float for 72 hours, (or 5 days) or until germination, then sow. I wonder if light helps, some of these germinate as snow melts in their natural habitats, not sure if these are included in that but the water method and temperature indicate they may be. You might think that water would rot them, but the skins on top are dry, and underneath I see little air bubbles, so perhaps they would rot more easily if covered.

The wait will be worth it, if you don't sow you just don't get anything anyway!

I have 5 Rhodophiala rhodolirion germinated in water, Deb which colour is this one?

http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/image_browse?query='rhodophiala%20rhodolirion'&first=&last=&imgurl=http://www.ujf-grenoble.fr/JAL/chili/images/rhod2.jpg&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ujf-grenoble.fr%2FJAL%2Fchili%2Fplantes%2Fliste.htm&width=800&height=600&requestId=28141d5fdf174ddb&clickedItemRank=3&encquery='rhodophiala%20rhodolirion'&page=

http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Rhodophiala/Rhodophiala_rhodolirion/R_rhodolirion.html

tried to post the pic, it didn't work.

Trying again!

Lordie, both are absolutely beautiful

They are voss, I wouldn't mind having both. At least I have one of them!

The first pic Janet. =)

Wallaby, I just found this thread.

Rhodophiala bagnoldii is a species from the Atacama Desert. Seeds have a VERY long viability, since it takes years to have a little rain in the area to make them germinate. In the meantime the pretty shiny black seeds wait in the hot days and cold nights of the Atacama Desert for the El Niño phenomena to bring some rain and have them germinate.

Therefore, I'm not sure water is the ideal media for this sp. to germinate. If you have some seeds left, try them with the method I describe in the 'Comments' section http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/84332/index.html. This method is supplied by Dr. Paulina Riedemann in her books specialized in Chilean Flora (by area). Dr. Riedemann used to teach at the Landscaping Architecture school for many years and she tried many different methods with her students. The books she has been publishing contain the most successful methods for each sp. However ....... this is the best method for our z9b climate.

Rhodophiala rhodolirion is a High Andean species and grows right where our ski resorts are. The colours vary from almost plain white, to white with red stripes or spots, to delicate and intense pink.

They are blooming right now. This is a picture I have not posted at the Plant Files so far. It is the most intense shade of pink I have found.

Hugs,

Ursula

Here is one a little paler.

This one is my favourite shade of pink.

Sorry for the shade - I'm still learning to use a camera.

This one would be the palest pink

And the white ones:

And the last one!

Hi Ursula,

I guess there are different ways which succeed, and this has worked so I am happy. I got my seeds from Osmani Baullosa who put the pics on the PBS, I followed his instructions. As I am in a colder, duller climate, perhaps to cover the seeds may have kept them too wet even if using a free draining compost. I use gritty river soil mixed with leaf compost. I have two R. bagnoldii that have already made leaves. Deb has the other half, with a more suitable climate your method would probably be best.

I wonder when the rains come if the seed are washed into hollows where they sit in water, whatever they do they probably get a lot of water when it comes. It's surprising how firm and plump the seeds feel, they must have tough skins.

I love the white with red markings on R. rhodolirion, I wonder if the colour turns deeper on some as the flower ages. They are all very pretty, thanks for the pics! This one 'might' live outside here, I can experiment with a couple for a start.

I'm still waiting for Placea ornata, Placea arzae, and Phycella ignea to germinate, they feel firm so perhaps take longer, I may sow them now they have had a reasonable cold spell and it's warming up a little more now.

I really really do want these to grow, take a look

http://www.chlorischile.cl/cursoonline/guia11/placeaornata.htm

Placea arzae is very similar, his instructions here are slightly different, 12 weeks or until germination in moist paper towel at 5C. Mine have been in the shed at around that for 3 weeks, it is now a little warmer, and we have had some very cold nights too below freezing but now it should be about 5C at night in the shed. I wonder if it would be as well leaving them there as in nature day temps would be higher. The fridge would keep them at that, perhaps I should try some in the fridge, sow some and leave some floating.

http://www.amaryllidaceae.org/photo/Baullosa/Placea-arzae.htm

http://www.mnhn.cl/apuntes/botanica/placea.htm

Placea arzae is mentioned on this site but the text in the search link isn't shown, but it stated germination was better at temps even lower than........

http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=673_13

5th link down

http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/web?query=Placea+arzae&isinit=true&restrict=wholeweb&x=21&y=10

I don't know what's happening, none of the links are going to work for some reason! (edited to say they do work, but didn't on preview)

This message was edited Feb 13, 2007 2:50 PM

Hello Wallaby!

Now I realize everything we state is a different reality in other parts of the world. When I say 'rain' in respect to the Atacama Desert, this is as little as 20mm which is enough for the dormant bulbs to sprout and the seeds to germinate. It is not like other Deserts, where you have sudden storms and everything is flooded(?) and washed away. Maybe somebody from London would call it just plain 'fog' LOL.

Also to be considered: except for the Patagonia and the cold rainforests in southern Chile, our soil has extremely good drainage. We don't have to prepare the soil for planting like I have seen European and USA gardening books ('building' drainage systems, etc.). We just add leafmould, humus, compost, etc. to improve the conditions for our plants.

I see you make a full research before starting your seeds! I always encourage people that grow my seeds to add a comment of their own experience to Dave's Garden's Plant Files, but have not been very successful so far. It's sad, but I used to give away many, many seeds with the only request that the recepients wrote a comment in the PF about their success/failure in growing them in their different zones. I think I have fingers left on one hand to count the comments that were added to improve the data available for Chilean species (sigh!).

Re. the Rhodophiala rhodolirion. From what I have been able to observe, they do not change colour when the flower is maturing. Only once the flower is wilting and winds on(over?) itself, it looks pinkish even if the flower was white. The stripes or spots do not intensify their colour. Temperature-wise I am sure they will do fine outdoors in your climate. However, your rainfall will probably be too much for them. If you plant them in pots, lay them on their side during winter so that they do not get too much water.

I do not encourage anybody to buy/grow Placea amoena. This is an endangered species that grows only in one specific place and seeds should not be collected. The bulbs are not commercially available in our nurseries. What happened to our Tecophilaea cyanocrocus (extinguished in it's habitat and only available for very high prices abroad) should never again happen to any other of our native species.

Wallaby, I 'visited' your garden in another forum and must say I 'drooled'. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! It's easy to see the love you have invested in creating such Paradise. It is such an inviting place!

Hugs,

Ursula

Rain, strange thing is everyone thinks we get lots of it, the average for here is 21" but I don't think we have had anything near that for a couple of years. Summers can go by with no rain for 2 months and very little either side of it. The last year has been very low on rainfall, it's the grey skies which make it seem worse, with colder weather. 20mm is a lot more than we have in many downpours, I find myself wondering how the country will cope with so little rain! The last showers we have had recently (after a noticed lack of rain) have been no more than 1/4", there was one recently that was about 3/8", then the one last night was barely measureable, it's again been lacking in rain as was last winter (which was very cold), but other parts of the country apparently get more.

My soil also has extrememly good drainage, it's an old river bed, sandy and full of stones. It had got so dry last year it was still dry just under the surface well into autumn, even then some places were dry a few inches down but there is a water table here which had got very low, now I think is recovering as the water drains are fuller, when we have so little rain I wonder where it comes from but the water comes from other areas. I should keep a record of the rainfall, I have a rain gauge but all the marks have come off!

So much does depend on not only temperatures but soil, ammendments etc. I use leaf compost and that is my main secret of success I think, all plants love it. I think I am lucky to have such an easy soil to grow in , not that fertile but I can grow many borderline tender plants here, I just wish our winters were a little warmer, and spring, and autumn (I can sometimes say that about summer too!), but this last winter has been relatively mild with alternate colder spells in between, much easier to cope with.

I like to experiment with hardiness and plant capabilities, so if I have managed to grow a plant successfully and have some to spare I can then try it outside. I have an Acacia dealbata which is said to behardy to -5C, mine has taken at least -9C with no damage, it is now full of flower. One of the main secrets of hardiness is down to growing naturally and from seed, I have had many bought plants grown in peat that will not live because they are not really healthy even though they will temporarily look that way, their roots give up. Some people grow Sprekelia in the ground here, I have one which I will try eventually, I made sure it was one which was correctly grown (they grow them in the ground) so it has a better chance.

It is good to exchange information, I'm glad you enjoyed viewing my garden, and I hope to encourage others to try different things.

ursula I will post of pic of my seedlings. They're not much to look at, but perhaps it will help others know what to expect. Mine are still alive. That in itself is a great acomplishment for me.

Wallaby, I meant 20mm (3/4") rainfall a YEAR! And that only happens with the El Niño phenomena. Otherwise, you only find some vegetative growth at the coastal areas of the desert, where plants survive thanks to the 'camanchaca' (mist).

You can be proud of your garden: there is not one single thing I would change!

Hugs,

Ursula

Thank you, Nery. I surely do appreciate that, especially considering that you were not 'given' seeds from me. Yes, every picture is worth much more than my large explanations in a poor English. Now if you add a few comments, ....... voilá ...... our Plant Files will soon beat any other data base.

Hugs,

Ursula

Tecophilaea cyanocrocus seeds and bulbs are not that expensive and have been purely propagated from bulbs/seeds obtained in the USA. They are easy to grow and not that all fired expensive in USA if you have good bulb/seed sources (as compared to some Cape species). This may be an endangered species in South America, but at least the bulb enthusiasts up here are increasing the population. I will continue to grow them--as will other bulb enthusiasts. Its the only way a lot of plants will survive.