Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Lessons from our Dry Season

Our Hippeastrum puniceum, is already with us when i started to notice my surroundings! That might probably be before 5 years old. In some countries maybe you can already call that heirloom, as it already passed on through several generations. But this is not endemic or native to the country, rather it might actually be introduced to the country centuries ago during the galleon trade with the Spaniards and Portuguese. The bulbs stay long even without water, so it can either be persistent or on the negative side can be invasive. 

We have hedges of hippeastrum in our property at the border of the garden. They are mostly seen as green foliage during the rainy season, and cannot be seen at all during the dry season. Their foliage totally dry with the heat and bright sun. The bulbs are just there on the ground waiting for the first heavy rains in April-May. 

Something unusual on them happened starting last year. That time there was a slight drizzle that induced them to flower. So i was not intrigued. However, this year there is no drizzle nor any rain at all starting February. But they still bloom starting April. Most of the scapes are short than normal, at just about 6 inches. I observed that only a few scapes emerged, compared to the totally dense scapes and flowers during the previous rainy seasons.  


Lushness of the flowers is the same with the rainy season blooms. However, during the rainy season the leaves emerge fast or sometimes at the same time with the growing scapes.

Another reality that i observed just now is this bulb. It was a loose bulb that my mother placed at the trunk of the cycas tree, forgot to remove it there. I just noticed it last week because of the two blooms, prompting me to check. The position in the trunk is 1.5 m above ground, and you will see above how it looks like now, rootless, leafless, and dry.  But those conditions did not prevent it to bloom.

 The above single bloom is twisted that gave it a different beauty. 

I realized that this species do not need any induction at all to break dormancy. It seems cued to bloom in April, and despite the absence of moisture they produced flowers, no matter what! I am awed yet pity them as their leaves might not be able to grow. Our weather forecasters say El Niño is coming in June, that might further delay the rainy season. These conditions will further muddle my otherwise already muddled observations, and further complicate my conclusions. Far as it may, i will just enjoy the flowers, for now!





24 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and leaving the lovely comments on the "Remains of the Past" series. I love your images here, and I'm following you now. Hope to see you back soon. Take care.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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    1. I am glad to see your site too, your photo narratives are so touching and informative. I am also transcended in time with affected emotions. Thanks as well for coming over, and be a blogger friend.

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  2. It is amazing to think of such long dry spells. Certainly not what we are experiencing here in Scotland! At least everything is very lush and green just now. It really is the best time of year.
    It is interesting to consider why your Hippeastrum are flowering. I wonder if it is a survival response, as many plants seem to flower best when they are neglected. It is difficult to imagine that there is enough moisture in the bulbs to produce the stems and flowers, though.

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    1. Hi Nick, i am glad you are still coming over despite of my non-butterfly posts, haha! It might be a survival response but it is really questionable as I cannot pinpoint the trigger that removed its dormancy. Maybe a bit high humidity at night can trigger that, i don't know.

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  3. The El Niño will mean a colder summer here...the hippeastrum I grew this year bloomed best when I left them alone and did not water them...one is still blooming with 12 blooms and 2 ft tall..amazing.

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    1. Hi Donna, El Nino here is a bit scary as it can be a total opposite of the effects in your country. It is normally a lengthened dry and hot season, plants therefore starts to die and we had a few fruit trees in the past that were not able to withstand it.

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  4. You made some observations that may have felt muddled to you but were fascinating to me. But, "just" enjoying the flowers for now is a great idea too :) By the way, that last photo is extraordinarily beautiful!

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    1. Thanks so much for your visit, as i've just seen you now. This show from my hippeastrum is actually fascinating to me as well, haha, and i also enjoyed them. Thanks also for the appreciation.

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  5. I enjoyed all your observations, but especially your beautiful images of this amazing Lily. Any plant that looks this great during a hot drought is worthy of wonder and respect!

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    1. Am grateful for you too Beth, for always dropping by and leave meaningful comments to my posts. Yes this plant gave me a new insight, wonder and respect.

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  6. Fascinating and beautiful flower! Just thing of the prickly pear cactus -- it will throw off flowers without having rain for months.

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    1. Thanks Stanley for dropping by and pricking my thoughts. But plants have different physiology which have been studied in the past. Leaping differently from these conventions can be very intriguing, that may give the plant physiologists some insights into the phenomenon of dormancy. I hope you drop by again.

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  7. not only is this plant beautiful, it's also tenacious. it looks like it's a low maintenance plant, wonder if it grows in our climate.

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    1. HI Maria, yes hippeastrum is famous in temperate countries although most are already hybrids. This species actually came from the Americas, acclimatized here. I actually said that in my discussion.

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  8. Gorgeous flowers! Happy weekend!

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  9. They're gorgeous. I always think of them as Christmas flowers. :)

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  10. Got them flowers by my husband this days .... Will show them nett week On Orange you glad! They are lovely. You show great captures, I like it !

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  11. I love these flowers! They're really gorgeous especially when the plants are lined up and the flowers are lush. I used to see so many of these lining up Coastal Road in Manila and I remember that I used to thank the person who thought of planting them there because they;re so beautiful to look at. Here for OYGIF.

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    1. Hi MaiThreeBoyz, this is your first time to come over, so thanks. I haven't seen this lining streets in MM. May i know which part you saw them, or maybe that was a long time ago and already neglected maintenance!

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  12. Very pretty. Reminds me of the Magic Lilies here. I have lavender ones but I moved them a couple years ago and they have not bloomed again. If they don't this year I will have to replant them. I always forget how deep they are suppose to be in the ground to have bloom.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  13. That is such a beautiful flower - I'm amazed it can bloom from a bulb on a tree like that.

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    1. Oh yes Al, i am so amazed too, the first time for me to see it that way! Thanks.

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  14. Weather patterns have been dramatically changing over the last few years and nature seems to be standing on it's head.
    Lots of plants are doing very unseasonal caper.

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