Nerine in Autumn

Flowers blooming in the greenhouse.

	Nerine platypatala is a bog or marsh plant, growing in seasonal or permanently wet places. It is native to southern Mpumalanga province of South Africa. These plants started blooming in late summer (August-September), and still had flowers in early November. The flowers are 35 to 40 mm across the face. Petals are flat, about 6 to 8 mm wide, and have smooth margins (not wavy) . We grow them with the pots standing in a tray which hold water most of the time. N. platypatala grows nearly year-round.
	Nerine bowdenii is native to the Drakensberg highlands of KwaZulu-Natal province and to the midlands of Eastern Cape province of South Africa. These flowers are about 70 mm across the face, with petals 8 to 10 mm wide. Summer- and autumn-blooming in the wild, in the greeenhouse they bloom in late autumn and on into winter.
	Nerine undulata is available in commerce. I t is native to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, where it grows in seasonal bogs. Blooms are 30 to 35 mm across. Petals are channeled and the edges are very ruffled; free standing, petals are only 3 to 4 mm wide (ca. 1/8th inch). The flowers appear in late autumn and early winter. These were blooming in the greenhouse on November 13, 2004.

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