Stenomesson pearcei, my long wait has paid off.

STENOMESSON PEARCEI, A RARE AMARYLLIS RELATIVE FROM BOLIVIA BLOOMS IN THE GREENHOUSE

High in the Andes, on mountain slopes from Peru to Bolivia comes todays rare bulb which is blooming in the greenhouse as it is snowing outside. It’s so reassuring that during this record breaking cold and snowy winter, that such miracles can occur. For I’ve tried everything to get this stubborn bulb to bloom, almost tossing it last year. Now, my precious pot of Stenomesson pearcei that I have had for ten years, has finally come into bloom with a single spike and a half dozen of bright yellow and green bells, each providing some hope that not only can I bloom something rare in the coldest and snowiest winter in history,  but that maybe this is a sign that spring will come soon. No, wait… I’m supposed to like winter, right?


As the light snow falls today, I can’t even image the colonies of Stenomesson pearcei that grow and bloom in the summer, in the high in the protected alpine meadows where its bulbs can form offsets protected from animals,deep in the quick-draining alpine soils amongst the grass. Stenomesson pearcei grows at a very high elevation, between 9,000 and 13,000 feet and although there are rarer bulbs, this one is still quite uncommon in collections, even among those who collect rare bulbs.