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A tiny South African onion relative. I grew it from seed from the Alpine Garden Society, and got Leucojum autumnale mixed with it as a free gift. Somehow that
added to the charm! The seedlings have shown some variation, including a purple flowered plant and one with particularly broad tepals. I am trying to isolate them from the mix to assess their value. In a letter to the JRHS in 1988, Steve Benham wrote: "During a collecting trip to South Africa in 1977 Dr Canio G. Vosa of the Botany School, Oxford who was carrying out a cytotaxonomic revision of the genus, collected a new species, which he had already recognised as such when studying the Tulbaghia collection in the Herbarium of Rhodes University. This herbarium specimen had been collected by Mr D. Comins, Director of the Caffarian Museum, King William's Town, just 20 years earlier. This charming and dainty species has very thin glaucous leaves, 1mm wide and 21cm long, slightly grooved on one side, with a purplish base. The glaucous 'bloom' covering the leaves and scape is very characteristic and is due to the white stomatal pores. The scape, 22cm long (growing in cool greenhouse conditions), carries umbels of between 6 and 8 white flowers, the diameter of each flower being 5mm and pedicels 15mm long. The perianth tube appears to be purplish in colour and the whole inflorescence is somewhat sweetly scented during nightfall, otherwise the plant has the typical strong and persistent alliaceous odour. The rootstock is a small corm-like formation, mostly with one, or rarely two growing parts. The 'type' D.Comins 1718 was collected in September 1957, 17km from King William's Town nar Tamaha and was found to be growing on rocky ground. Living material was collected from the 'type' locality by C. G. Vosa 1568 and during October 1977 and again by C. G. Vosa 1781 in November 1977. Hardiness can only be determined once sufficient stock has been built up so that it can be planted outside. As I write, in July, the plant is still flowering, having done so since April, with the occasional seed capsule forming. I consider this species to be most worthy and desirable, deserving to be more widely known and grown." |
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| 5th July 2006 | ||
