"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...
On Oct 2, 6:05 pm, Chris Hogg wrote:

I don't actually grow them myself, but B. frutescens (aka B.
caulescens) is a S. African bulbous plant with a tuberous fleshy root,
which allows it to cope with long periods of drought.

Hmm. Well I have grown it on several occasions and will do again once
I can clear away some shade-causing plants which have dramatically
reduced sunny spots in the garden :| It is not a true bulbous plant
nor are the roots tuberous. When it enters drought induced dormancy,
the terminal growths can become somewhat thickened, but to classify
them as bulbs is stretching terminology somewhat. As a garden (or
greenhouse) plant, this Bulbine usually remains evergreen and is a
sprawling, semi-succulent with eventually woody, creeping,
adventitiously rooting rhizomes at or just below the soil surface.



Thanks for adding this, Dave. It's really interesting. Since I'm keeping
mine indoors for now, I think I'll pot it on into a trough in the hope that
it will layer itself by spring. I know it will slow down a bit soon, but
the current soil looks too heavy and is a bit mossy, so some improvement is
called for. It will better support the leaning and top- heavy growth, too.
I'll be very interested to see what the roots are doing.
Thanks.
Spider