SANDERSONIA: EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON GROWTH, FLOWERING AND TUBER PRODUCTION

Sandersonia aurantiaca (Family Colchicaceae previously Liliaceae) is a tuberous plant native to South Africa.
The beauty of its bright orange, bell shaped flowers as well as the ease of shipping and long vase life make it a cut flower with great marketing potential.
Growing Sandersonia as cut flowers has recently been initiated in Israel.
Various growing conditions and horticultural practices were tested, in order to adapt Sandersonia to local climatic conditions.
Plant growth, flowering and tuber production were tested under different combinations of temperature and day-length.
The optimal temperature and day-length combination for obtaining high quality flowering stems was 26/18°C (day/night) under natural day-length conditions.
Flowering stems were short at 17/9°C under both short and natural day-length conditions.
Ten hours of supplemental night illumination markedly increased stem length only under natural day-length and the lowest temperature regime tried.

Maximal tuber weight was accumulated under short day conditions with no clear effect of temperatures, whereas no clear differences in tuber number were found between the tested conditions.

VII International Symposium on Flowerbulbs

G. Kaddar, A. Nissim-Levi, D. Evenor, L. Afgin, A.A. Watad, G. Luria

Colchicaceae, Golden Bells, photoperiod, temperature

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.430.117