BCSS - Forum

The M. depressa with the "splodged" leaves is correctly named, but the one above it is not that species - it does not have the coma of leaves associated with the inflorescence.

Hello Aiko and all,

Aiko, may I ask where your Massonia amoena come from please?

Mafate79 wrote: Aiko, may I ask where your Massonia amoena come from please?

I traded seeds of my M. roggeveldensis and Resnova megaphylla for a few bulbs of M. amoena en M. pygmaea with a fellow forum member a few weeks back. You can't really buy most of the species. Unless you get in contact with private growers to swap plant material, there is not much chance now to get your hands on some species. Maybe if you are in luck African Bulbs will be able to provide some seeds, or via the seed list of Gordon Summerfield.

Ok, thanks Aiko.

Terry S. wrote:The M. depressa with the "splodged" leaves is correctly named, but the one above it is not that species - it does not have the coma of leaves associated with the inflorescence.

I have to admit I am quite clueless as to how to correctly identify Massonias. In this case I may have made it even worse by going off memory - the mottled leaves one I have labeled as depressa (but it seems to have a pustulata-like bud), the other one with the leaf coma is missing a label (must dig into my archives to see what I sowed at that time). So if depressa has a coma, does that mean that the mottled-leaf plant is not depressa and the other one is/may be?

As for leaf coma buds, I have plants labeled 'jasminiflora' that also have very similar leafy buds (first time flowers). Is that expected for that species?

Astro wrote:I have to admit I am quite clueless as to how to correctly identify Massonias.

I have the same (but I don't mind, I just like them a lot). And we are not the only one, it seems. The genus Massonia is one that has many species names introduced to it, and species are being lumped or splitted as we speak. It definately is a genus still under construction.

By the way, Astro, if you are able to harvest seeds from the variegated depressa, I would like to propose a swap next spring.

Does anyone know if Resnova megaphylla is self-fertile? My plant usually only gets 1 or 2 seed pods each year, which I have never tried planting. I'm not sure if this is because it's not really self-fertile or if the flowers just don't get pollinated with being so small.

I love bulbs with flat leaves; it's really interesting seeing all the different species and forms in this thread. I had a couple of Massonias but lost them during a colder than usual winter several years ago and keep saying I'll try growing them again. I joined the Alpine Garden Society again this year so maybe there will be some on the seed list.

Aiko wrote: By the way, Astro, if you are able to harvest seeds from the variegated depressa, I would like to propose a swap next spring.

I'll be tickling some Massonia flowers once they open, and I'll let you know if anything comes of it In previous years flowers have opened around December, but I think they're a bit ahead of schedule this year.

Updated my earlier post with plant names as I have them written down on their labels, instead of how I remembered them. May still not be entirely correct, of course.

Hello all,

As English is not my mother tongue, could somebody explain to me what "coma" means when associated with leaves and/or inflorescence? Should I understand "atrophied leaves" arising with the inflorescence?

Moreover, I have some questions about sowing bulbs and Massonia in particular. What is the (or one of the) good process to success with? Could somebody explain to me how to proceed and when is the best period of the year to sow? What sort of substrat should I use? Maybe there are some useful links that I could read on the web?

Finally, are Massonia and Daubenya seeds long lived?

If I can get seeds, I would like to give them a try.

Thank you in advance for your help.

A coma is the tuft of small leaves that you can get at the tip of a flower stem, on e.g. pineapples, eucomis and some massonias such as M. comata.