We were at our favorite Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek, CA today..
walking around, we saw this very interesting plant...turns out it is an Amaryllis relative called Boophone disticha...too bad there is no seedling of it on sale, would have gladly bought one!




And here is an article about it courtesy of Ruth Bancroft Gardens: Lovelier as it blooms
https://www.ruthbancroftgarden...

Great looking plant!

tarev said: We were at our favorite Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek, CA today..
walking around, we saw this very interesting plant...turns out it is an Amaryllis relative called Boophone disticha...too bad there is no seedling of it on sale, would have gladly bought one!



And here is an article about it courtesy of Ruth Bancroft Gardens: Lovelier as it blooms
https://www.ruthbancroftgarden...

Very cool.. Curley stems,never seen one like in the pic. Thanks for the info.
Will check it out…we'll wow wee.. what an amazing garden so well planned out in nicely designed garden beds full of color.
Lucky you got to see it … Did you get to see the tile designed to look like the desert garden? The flowers on the boophone are amazing .. beautiful.. 😍

I didn't realize these were related to Amaryllis. I saw this exact plant a little over a week ago when I went to Ruth Bancroft with my partner. Ended up tracking down the name at least. I noticed they looked like they were growing from a bulb or bulb-like structure, but wasn't entirely sure.

They're definitely interesting little plants. I love the leaves on them.

They aren't super duper rare in commerce. (vs. something like Scadoxus pole-evansii - trying finding that one!) Telos Rare Bulbs sometimes has them, as do various ebay and etsy sellers.

tarev said:Boophone disticha...too bad there is no seedling of it on sale, would have gladly bought one!

Many such cool plants are indeed tough to find from retail nurseries, but often available from hobbyists in online gardening clubs at VERY RESONABLE prices during their plant exchanges.

This very species of Boophone is right now offered from a member of the Pacific Bulb Society to U.S. members of that club - members donate seeds or bulbs in one of their "members only" bulb exchanges, and other members may request them- for a $3 donation to the club, plus shipping cost. The PBS membership is worldwide, and also has a srparate European seed/bulb exchange.

https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

If you are interested in obtaining unusual specimens like this, or other bulbs, including the species Hippeastrum, you might consider joining the PBS or another club. I've been a dues-paying member for a few years. Paying yearly dues supports the club, and allows you to participate in the plant exchanges, but forum postings and viewing the wiki is free to all.

Their online knowledgebase - called the PBS wiki, is pretty large for unusual and more available species that are 'geophytes,' ( plants that have an underground storage system.)

Check out their website wiki on Boophone species:
https://www.pacificbulbsociety...

Lots of photos and cultural information.

I've also ordered from Telos Rare Bulbs, and recommend them. The owner of Telos has been active on PBS in the past!

Boophone disticha is available at Plant Delights Nursery. $35. is the price. Grown from collected seed.