never propagate anything when it is in flower ... that is an easy rule to remember .. [and i presume there are exceptions]

so you have time to figure when the PROPER propagation time is ...

i dont have any direct experience.. but the first link.. at the link.. seems to say it can not be done by tubers ... so good job on the abortion ...

the same link says only by seed.. so hopefully those flowers will live thru the transplant .. and give you some seed.. though we do not know if they will come true from seed ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Ken, Bomareas and Alstroemeria can indeed be propagated "by the tubers" as long as a growing point or portion of the stem is included. However, this tends to be difficult for Bomareas. It is not "impossible" and I believe it might routine for B. salsilla, which is a deciduous species. If the piece is absolutely "only a tuber" without any growing point than neither genus will grow. However, this is true of many, many tuberous plants.

Here's a description from the Pacific Bulb Society:

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Bomarea

"Division of plants can be made although it severely weakens the parent plant. But if a division is necessary, make sure that the new division has some growing points (see photos below) with at least one storage tuber. The tubers are only for storage and no new plants can be grown just from the tubers alone"

For some species it is difficult or impossible to find a time when they are never in bloom. I've propagated many plants in bloom, so I would not be inclined to follow that rule.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific Bulb Society Bomarea Description (repeated from above)

I thought I should add that there is no reason to think that this variety of Bomarea caldasii would not come true from seed. It is not a hybrid. I am not aware of other plants in my neighborhood that could serve as pollen donors. The flowers on my plant look like those on the mother plant, which is grown at a home in San Francisco, which looks like its parent, which is at UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley.

I am not even aware of any Bomarea hybrids that are widely grown. Perhaps there are some (?). There is a plant being sold as a Bomarea x Alstroemeria hybrid which appears to be Alstroemeria isabellana.

I would also emphasize how I find the do not propagate when blooming "rule" to be rather odd. I grow mostly subtropicals and highland tropicals, many of which do not come from very seasonal climates. Many of them in theory bloom all year, and if they are not blooming it's because they are "surviving" rather than thriving. Some will stop blooming in the winter because it's too cold (example: many Passifloras), or in the summer because it's too hot (example many Sphaerocarpium Brugmansias. Many of these plants are hardest to propagate during these times.

Wild thing, I think I love you. It looks robust and exotic.
I hesitated to post because I don't know anything about Bomarea. However it bothered me that you thought the new pot was on the small side. I worry that your nagging thought is correct or at least you should reconsider a bigger pot. To repot so soon, the plant won't even notice. If it likes you, it will grow beautiful foliage that can get damaged in repotting latter. I think you did the right thing in not dividing it. Why carve up such a nice sized plant. I read about germinating the seeds and the new plant seems to "sense" a small pot. Thanks for a look at an interesting plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bomarea

Hi Peggie,

The plant seems totally unaffected by the repotting so far. Buds on the second inflorescence/umbel have started opening. Here they are in the rain:

I put it in a #3 pot (which I understand is about 2.5 gallons). Probably a #5 pot (3.6 gallons, I think) would have been better. The problem with doing anything more is that it seems to be happy. The shoots that are on the surface of the rootball are growing fast, and I hate to take more risks. I cut the "1 gallon" pot off with a razor blade, and already either broke off or cut off one shoot in the process (lower right corner you of rootball photo--this may be hard to see).

There aren't too many sources of info on these plants. In addition to the PBS link that you give, Diana Chapman/Telos Bulbs/"The Bulb Maven" has a good description (link below). The two descriptions probably overlap. I know that she is also a source for the plants. I have not bought anything from her, but she has a stellar reputation.

One of the confusing things about the plant that I just bought is its name. Bomarea caldisii from UCBG (UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley) is one...It's been called B. kalbreyeri and some other things. I'm not sure if it's the same as the plant called B. hirsuta in the link below. I've been told it's a different B. caldasii variety from the plant often called 'Fiesta', but the difference between the two is not clear to me.

I tried to grow this variety from seeds a couple years ago, and perhaps gave up too soon. One person I sent seeds to said that she had germination after 6 months. I was also growing B. edulis/hirtella, which produced a number of seeds (only a few/pod). All the seeds I planted did nothing and then suddenly germinated at 6 months. I really don't have patience for seeds that take so long...

Another very interesting Bomarea (at least in photos) is Bomarea pardina. I was told that (as of a couple years ago) it had only bloomed at an orchid nursery North of San Diego.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bomarea description from Diana Chapman/Telos Bulbs/

Too happy to be disturb is a good situation. I think I had a comforter duvet fashioned of this plants likeness. It was a great find and you are lucky to have such an uncommon vine. You need a sergeant gardener to germinate your seeds! 6 months is a long time to consistently care for seed.

That would be - surrogate gardener -