Cybistetes longifolia ?

[amarguy]

I bought this last year from Skyview Succulents at the Huntington/CSSA Sale and show. At the time, I THOUGHT it was Cybistetes longifolia, but when I got home realized the tag said Cybister. It WAS one bulb when I bought it ... in a 6" pot. It soon sent up a separate growing point ... and another ... and another. When I transplanted to a 3 gallon pot, I confirmed that it was stoleniferous. Cool! BUT .... what is it? It did not display the truncated leaf tips of which I read described for Cybistetes longifolia. How 'bout the red leaf margins? Two days ago, I discovered what appears to be (its first) bloom scape rising. Guess I will know for sure soon if its actually a Cybistetes or not. Anyone else care to make a suggestion? Is there such a species as Cybister longifolia? From South Africa?

Ken

[Tim Harvey]

It would be hard to get a flowering-sized bulb of C. longilfolium into a 6" pot. It sounds almost as though your main bulb has rotted. Stoloniferous ... sounds like Cyrtanthus, especially with it flowering now.

T

[jshields]

I'd say you have Hippeastrum cybister. It tends to produce a lot of offsets. It's taking my seedlings of cybister forever to get big enough to flower; they seem to expend all their energy on producing offsets instead of bulking up the mother bulb.

I wonder if I shouldn't try to grow them harder -- leaner mix, less fertilizer, etc.?

I might have an extra seedling of Cybistetes longifolia around here, if you want to trade something. The Cybistetes are dormant right now. Sorry, I have all the Hippe. cybister I need!

Jim Shields
in cool, cloudy central Indiana

[amarguy]

Thanks for the info on this Hippie, Jim! Although, I am dissapointed it is not Cybistetes longifolia. I've got some seedling Cybistetes now ... seeds from Silverhill. I don't think I've got anything you don't already have ... I'm kinda a newbie in the bulb world ... but if you see something, let me know.
Ken

[amarguy]

Was in NorCal and when I got back, the bloom on this thing had opened ... somewhat of a dissappointment. Oops ... my spelling is a bit off again