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Desert Lily


Butch

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While camping at Ocotillo Wells in the SO. CA. desert over New Years, I noticed a lot of these plants popping up...

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After getting home I did a little research to see what they were... They seem to be Desesrt Lilys or Hespercallis undulta... Interesting plant that only shows up in rainy years... I would like to go back and see them when they bloom... https://www.desertusa.com/flowers/desert-lily.html  ....

 

Butch

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Great plants.. Very challenging, ( but possible ) to grow outside of habitat. Seed is sometimes available from sources dealing with rarer CA/ Southwestern Natives but it is better to try and acquire fresh seed if possible since seed is reported to have a short lifespan once mature/ shed.  Bulbs will "set" themselves quite deep in the soil, requiring a spot where the soil is loose, and at least 2-4ft deep. Flowers are quite fragrant as well.

 

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A lot of these were in sandy washes... I wonder if digging up the bulbs would be the more sure way of going, since the seeds have such a short life span... I don't know the legalities of digging them up though... I suppose the location would make a difference... These were in the ocotillo Wells SVRA ( State Vehicular Recreation Area) and were routinely destroyed by off-road vehicles... So maybe not so protected?

Butch

 

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2 minutes ago, Butch said:

A lot of these were in sandy washes... I wonder if digging up the bulbs would be the more sure way of going, since the seeds have such a short life span... I don't know the legalities of digging them up though... I suppose the location would make a difference... These were in the ocotillo Wells SVRA ( State Vehicular Recreation Area) and were routinely destroyed by off-road vehicles... So maybe not so protected?

Butch

 

Honestly not sure.. but have been curious myself for the same reasons.. Don't think collecting a few from some place like the SVRA would be a big no no.. but again, might contact someone associated w/ one of the local Native Plant society chapters to be certain. If anything, they might require you to obtain a collection permit, and have a limit on how many you would be able to collect/ harvest.  I know the bulbs are supposed to be edible, and were subsequently collected in times past, but of course.. that was sometime ago.  Doesn't hurt to look into it though.
 

 

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32 minutes ago, Butch said:

http://www.gardenanswers.com/bulb-plants/desert-lily-or-ajo-lily/    Says to not let the bulb go dormant... Hard to bring back... You think these deep seated bulbs are dormant?... I would think so... Maybe the seeds would easier?

Butch

Almost certain they go completely dormant after flowering, until the next winter rains awaken them.. As for seed-started plants? have heard the same info, at least for the first year or so but not certain on how accurate that is since i'd doubt they stay evergreen all year for the first few years of growth out in the desert, esp where they grow where summer rainfall they might receive to keep them green rarely occurs. Don't know why they'd have to be treated so differently in cultivation.

Biggest question in my mind is how they'd fare in more coastal conditions, vs. where they grow. Have heard a daily temp fluctuation of 25-30 deg may be beneficial / may be what helps trigger flowering ..but this may be related more to getting seed grown plants to flower rather than more mature specimens. That said, info from Calscape suggests they're easy to cultivate. Lists 3 nurseries that supposedly grow/ carry them also.

Have dug dormant Mariposa lilies ( genus Calocortus ) from native habitat w/ no setback in the past but these might behave differently.  What i would do, if collecting mature/ near mature bulbs from habitat is have a container with something like a layer of moist sand in it with me when collecting to keep them from drying out on the trip home. Might also have the place where you plan on planting / container prepared, and maybe bring back some of the surrounding sand/ soil to plant the bulbs in. Naturally growing in sand,  don't imagine it would be hard to dig them out w/ a good portion of the roots. Much easier than hacking at cement-like clay to collect the Mariposa lilies, lol.

 

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Great info. Thank you. I’m not sure when I’ll get back out there. We used to go quite often, but my Granddaughter is playing Softball, and cheering her on is more important. Our trips are all in the winter, so maybe next year. 
Butch

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28 minutes ago, Butch said:

Great info. Thank you. I’m not sure when I’ll get back out there. We used to go quite often, but my Granddaughter is playing Softball, and cheering her on is more important. Our trips are all in the winter, so maybe next year. 
Butch

I hear ya, definitely more important for sure.. And your welcome..  As mentioned before, this is one of several less commonly seen/ more challenging CA. natives i have plans on doing detailed research on myself once back in CA. so i'll be poking around for bulbs and seed myself at some point. Thinking it would be better to collect bulbs in late spring/summer while dormant than when actively growing. In that case, finding them would rely on being able to detect the dried out seed stalks.  We'll see how easy that is, lol.

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