[oron peri]

Charithea,
This might be interesting for you, there are quite a few Mediterranean species as well;

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11434.0

[Alisdair]

Great link, Oron, thanks - and nice to see your splendid new growing area there! Incidentally I had a chat with your AGS editor at the Chelsea Show, and he said that he was hoping your new book would be on their October list. Please keep us all informed!!!

[oron peri]

Thanks Alisdair,

Yes, I hope to see the book already, after few delays...

In the meantime, this is my new venture:

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12097.msg309622#msg309622

[Charithea]

Thank you Oron. I have gone to both links. Both fascinating. Congratulations and best wishes on your new venture. We have to check whether we can import the seeds and bulbs. We shall have a discussion with Yiannos.

[Fermi]

I've already put in my order!
Here's Romulea sabulosa - I have to grow it in a tray of water to get the best flowering,
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

More romulea are in bloom - we even had enough sun for them to open!
Romulea hirta (not sure of the ID as it came as something else),
Romulea flava, a volunteer which came up in a crocus pot - not sure how as the only other R. flava we grow has "white" flowers - actually pale lemon with a yellow centre;
One of the Mediterranean ones, Romulea hartungii (syn Romulea columnae ssp grandiscapa)
cheers
fermi

[Alisdair]

Fermi, do you know the African Bulbs group on Facebook? You can find it at
www.facebook.com/groups/142658152594313/
I'm sure you'd get a firm ID for that interesting Romulea that you've tentatively put down as hirta! I wonder if it's a son-of-hirta, pollinated by another species, or vice versa!

[Fermi]

Hi Alisdair,
I'm not on FB - my partner thinks I spent too much time on the computer as it is
cheers
fermi

[Alisdair]

That's the right answer, Fermi - it's far too interesting, you'd get hooked in no time!

[Fermi]

A better pic of Romulea hartungii (syn R. grandiscapa)
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

Romulea tetragona has distinctively ridged foliage and a bright flower
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

Romulea hartungii (syn Romulea grandiscapa) obviously seeded itself into a couple of other pots. It's living dangerously because out of flower it looks a lot like the weedy Romulea rosea and I'd nearly removed them!
One of these volunteers is a lot taller and a paler mauve than the others and I wonder if it is the same species.
cheers
fermi

[Alisdair]

Some of the photos of Romulea columnae (grandiscapa is thought to be a subspecies of columnae) show it as being sometimes rather like your tall one, Fermi, so maybe it is just part of that same group. I'm going with the MGS Canaries trip to Tenerife next Feb, so if we're lucky maybe we'll see it!

[Fermi]

Hi Alisdair,
The taller one had been growing in more shade so it could simply be a difference  in cultivation.
One of our local AGS Victorian Group members went to the Canaries last year and will be presenting a talk next month - but he was there in April/May so I don't think he would've seen it
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

Romulea flava - white and yellow forms
Romulea sabulosa
Romulea hartungii (syn R. columnae v grandiscapa)
Romulea hartungii and Romulea tetragona
Romulea tetragona
cheers
fermi