Bomarea edulis/hirtella +?

[charlie]

These are now in full swing here, probably the easiest Bomarea to grow and flower, there still seems to be a lot of confusion as to what is what in the area of Bomarea,
The following pictures are of my plant which although I received it as Bomarea hirtella I was persuaded a few years ago to change its name to edulis

bomarea edulis 013 by charliepridham, on Flickr

bomarea edulis 012 by charliepridham, on Flickr
But despite the name change I at least thought I had it sussed then last year I was sent seed of two Bomarea species which now they are flowering look like they may just be variation of Bomarea edulis what do you think? I have just numbered them for now

species1flowers by charliepridham, on Flickr

species1flower by charliepridham, on Flickr

species2stems by charliepridham, on Flickr

species2leaf by charliepridham, on Flickr
Although there are minor differences in flower the leaf backs and stems you can't tell apart and of course they have come to flower on the same day.

species2flowers by charliepridham, on Flickr

species2flower by charliepridham, on Flickr

species1stems by charliepridham, on Flickr

species1leaf by charliepridham, on Flickr

[LONGK]

No use to you as far as id goes. Here's my B.hirtella/edulis..........................



Seems a softer colour than yours (and smaller clusters too), but that may that be down to pot culture? It's a large pot that's very full now, so I'll split it next year and plant one clump outdoors.

[charlie]

Plant it out, it will repay you a hundred fold, they are completely different plants in the ground :)

[LONGK]

Plant it out, it will repay you a hundred fold, they are completely different plants in the ground :)

My only issue is that the winter lows in rural Oxfordshire are potentially quite a bit lower than down in Cornwall, so I'll split it in the spring and keep a potfull as a back up.

[DaveP]

Every year I get more and more fond of B. edulis. Individually, the flowers aren't up to much compared to sp. such as caldasii, but the overall effect and the sheer effusiveness with which it grows and flowers certainly make this an ace garden plant. It seems to be a lot hardier than I originally thought because I had mine outside, unprotected in a pot for a couple of winters and the roots must have been exposed to a degree or two of freezing. Nevertheless it returned every spring without any hint of damage and subsequent spring growth has proved far more vigorous than the previous year's.

[charlie]

Plant it out, it will repay you a hundred fold, they are completely different plants in the ground :)

My only issue is that the winter lows in rural Oxfordshire are potentially quite a bit lower than down in Cornwall, so I'll split it in the spring and keep a potfull as a back up.

Be wary of splitting it, Its not that easy to do, If it sets seeds that's the way to go. I have split them in the past but I found getting more than two plants from the division usually counter productive (You may of course already discovered this for yourself! :) )

I agree Dave about edulis, especially given the struggle I have had this year with slugs and snails taking just the top inch off every one of the caldassii stems - so no flowers this year :(

[LONGK]

Be wary of splitting it, Its not that easy to do, If it sets seeds that's the way to go. I have split them in the past but I found getting more than two plants from the division usually counter productive (You may of course already discovered this for yourself! :) )

I agree Dave about edulis, especially given the struggle I have had this year with slugs and snails taking just the top inch off every one of the caldassii stems - so no flowers this year :(

Thanks for the advice! I was rather assuming that it would be as easy as Alstromeria psittacina based on the similarities in the tubers that I noticed when I repotted it. So I need to take the plunge I guess. Maybe allow it to grow on in the pot in the spring and plant it out when the soil is nicely warmed up around June time?
Which leadsto another question - how deep? I'm thinking of growing it into the Iochroma if that survives the winter - nice sheltered and pretty dry spot in the winter thanks to next doors large conifers.

[Chad]

They are a bit of a challenge to split. The tubers have no growth points and are attached to the small ‘crown’ by delicate roots. To get a division to grow away well you need a crown and at least one attached tuber.

Jim Cave used to manage it ‘easily’ but for the rest of us it has been a challenge.

If you need to divide I would recommend growing in a large pot and then just cutting the root ball into two [three if you are brave] with a spade and potting up the otherwise undisturbed chunks.

They seem to come ‘true’ from seed when it is set and fresh seed usually germinates. Dried seed may germinate several years after sowing which is a nuisance though!

For what is worth, I think all of the above pictures fall within the range of B.edulis which itself probably a complex hybrid and quite variable. It is though a huge genus [ 124 species ‘accepted’ by Kew] and not many of the species are in cultivation.

I can’t find a unifying monograph, but just for Peru and neighbouring areas this is a good paper.

Chad.

[Chad]

Which leadsto another question - how deep?

They will find their own depth once planted out. I have been surprised on trying to move one how deep the 'crowns' were.

I would plant a couple of inches lower than the pot surface. They often lose all the top growth when disturbed but then grow away with much more vigour than they had in pots.

Chad.