🚀 go-pugleaf

On Tue, 4 Nov 2008 11:34:28 -0000, "Peter"
<kealties@peterbhurst.f2s.com> wrote:

>Hi Richard
>
>It is difficult from photos accurately to determine many plants. 
>My book, admittedly written from a European perspective, gives 
>the following characteristics to look for in a Freesia:
>
>-Slightly irregular, 6 petal (strictly 3 petals and 3 very 
>similar sepals) flower with 3 stamens (your photo appears to have 
>6 stamens); style usually 3-branched.
>-Style branches narrow (not petaloid)
>-Few to many flowers on stem, in spikes or panicles (not at end 
>of stem like crocus)
>-Plant with a corm (as shown in one of Loosescan's photos)
>-Style 3-branched, with each branch bifid (split in two)
>-Bracts <1.5cm; spike bent horizontally near lowest flower; 
>flowers on one side of stem; leaves soft; wingless seeds.
>
>From this description (Stace New Flora of thee British Isles), I 
>suspect that your plant is not a Freesia.  Sorry - I cannot tell 
>you what it is.
>
>Peter
>-
>
>"Richard Wright" <richwrigREMOVE@tig.com.au> wrote in message 
>news:7miug4h600saa7pmakksu6ag38slkb19f9@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 13:13:50 +0900, "Loosecanon"
>> <loosecanon@iinet.net.au> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> You are right - the flower is scarlet.
>>>>
>>>> I agree the search must go on.
>>>>
>>>> To assist this I have posted a photo of the flower that shows 
>>>> more
>>>> detail.
>>>>
>>>> The length of each petal is 9 mm. Note the brown base to the 
>>>> three
>>>> lower petals.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.box.net/shared/static/zscyia95m1.jpg
>>>
>>>Perhaps a Fressia laxa
>>>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Freesia/Freesia_laxa_msi2.jpg
>>>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Freesia/Freesia_laxa_msi3.jpg
>>>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Freesia/Freesia_laxa_msi4.jpg
>>>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Freesia/Freesia_laxa_corms_msi.jpg
>>>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Freesia/Freesia_laxa_seeds.jpg
>>>
>>
>> Thanks. This is definitely the species. 
>

Peter

The pictures of Freesia laxa (see URLs above) are identical to my
plant. However on pursuing the matter further I find that this plant
has been removed from the Freesia genus and renamed Anomatheca laxa.
So perhaps that reconciles things.

Furthermore the plant is naturalised in Sydney, where I saw it
growing:

http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Anomatheca~laxa

Richard