Gethyllis

[Tim Harvey]

I'm very keen on this genus, but they're hard to get in the US and even more difficult to identify accurately.

I've found plants from seed tough to get past the 2 year mark, but then I suspect I grow them a bit too hard. This year I had a good batch of flowers on one clump, and I've produced seeds in the past. The smell from the fruit is wonderful!

T

[Allen Repashy]

Nice! What species is that?

I sowed 500 seeds of G. grandiflora that I got from Silverhill which came up very well in the spring. They are appearing to go dormant now... hopefully they aren't just dying off.

Allen

[Tim Harvey]

No idea as to species - most flowers look rather similar.

The trick with Silverhill seed is to get them to grow at this time of year, as they arrive 6 months out of sync, unfortunately.

T

[Allen Repashy]

Yeah,

It's not easy to do when they come in the spring and are already germinating in the envelope... I have had great luck with Boophane and Brunsvigia that come in the spring, but they just grow right through the first winter, which these don't seem to be doing

[NSterman]

I've had a boophane in a pot for a couple of years now, uncertain when/how to plant it so I don't lose it. Can anyone give me the basics on this one? Best soil/sun/water? How large it might grow? Whether it multiplies or stays single? When it might bloom?

thanks

Nan (in Encinitas)

[Allen Repashy]

Here is some info on Randy's site. There is more than one species, so yours could be a summer or winter grower, and most likely, either B. disticha, or B heamanthoides.

[jshields]

I start the fleshy seeds immediately upon receipt, but under lights. I keep Crinum and Haemanthus seeds growing continuously under lights for 18 months or longer before moving them to the greenhouse and letting them cycle through normal seasons. The same works well with Hippeastrum species, Nerine, even most Cyrtanthus. As I recall, that did not always work so well with Brunsvigia, and I've never had the courage to attempt Gethyllis. Now I'm too short on space in the greenhouses to branch out into additional genera.

[amarguy]

Just thought I post a shot of this species taken at the Feb 2010 SDCSS winter show. It was also shown this year, but I did not get a photo. I've not had much luck with this genus myself.

Ken Blackford

[chuckpowell]

I just wanted to know if anyone has found a source or sources for this genus in the US. I'd love to get one or more, but my days of importing from outside the US are far in the past. Any help would be appreciated.

Best,

Chuck

[jshields]

I got some seeds from Rachel Saunders years ago; they did not do well for me, but I know more now than I did then about growing South African Amaryllidaceae. You just need a Small Lots of Seeds import permit from the USDA to bring seeds into the USA from outside.

Jim

[jshields]

Does Rachel's brother in Chicago still handle imports for her customers in the USA who don't have import permits? I know he did for a while.