Monday, August 12, 2013

Foreigner in my Custody!

I received a few half-centimeter diameter bulblets of an unfamiliar lily two years ago. This was sent in a small package of other seeds courtesy of a blogger friend in the US. Of course, the very small bulblets excite me more than the seeds, which otherwise proved to be more susceptible to our tropical climate. The bulblets thrive, though hesitant at first, they eventually acclimatized and passed successfully our hot dry season of >35C.  Half the leaves died, but they lived through. I had to put the pot under filtered shade during dry months and they were so pampered with water and attention.

I searched immediately with how they look and the bright red curly petals seem so beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it here in the country. It was reported to have originated from China and Japan, and I realized it is a bit invasive in foreign lands, and they are seen growing abundantly in abandoned lands. I hope this is the first Licoris radiata here and i will try not to allow it invade our lands. The first bloom already emerged, with four flowers per scape. Despite the small flower size, they are lovely.

The petals curl at the tip, but the petal blades also look like ruffles.

The very long wiskers, which are actually the filament, are wonderful

 Only three flowers are already open in this picture. I still don't know how long is the bloom life.

I searched for any succeeding scape, but nothing is conspicuous just yet. I hope more spikes will be produced this season, which coincide with the rainy months. Those long thin leaves are beautiful on their own, with the whitish hues at the center of the leaves along the midrib area. 

I have a few foreigner plants in my custody, but this one has the brightest and loudest color, so far!

Badge 2 photo RubyTuesdayToobadge_zpsafc3fc23.jpg

6 comments:

  1. beautiful. makes me think that it's more interesting to be a botanist =)

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  2. your photos are absolutely gorgeous!Greetings from Polish.

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  3. Totally new plant for me. You are very careful with them. Thanks for the info!

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  4. It's lovely, and the color is fiery and vibrant. It's obvious to see from its form that it's related to Lycoris squamigera, which is a much more muted dusty pink. Both are gorgeous in their own right. Great post.

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