For some reason C.alismatifolia is always the last to pop out for me. Mine are still not up but C. roscoeana, C. gracillima are. Heck even Globba pendula is up already. We've had a colder than usual April in S. Florida and I think C. alismatifolia really likes steadily warm soil to appear.

So to answer your question, it really depends on when your soil temp is steadily warm.

That's interesting, for us the roscoeanas are always the last to come up, last to bloom (around october), and last to go dormant. Some of our alismatifolias are just starting to pop now, but I don't expect the roscoeanas for another few months. Go figure.

I think alismatifolia comes from a dry winter/wet summer part of Thailand-- definitely tropical, so I'm always surprised that it adapts to other climates as well as it seems to do.

Most curcuma go bone dry over the dormant season, and soil temp starts the sprouting process. I think C. roscoeana is in a different class. Its been one of the most difficult to deal with, and they don't like to be stored dry. part of it may be there tiny rhizome size. I think they need some moisture over the dormancy to make it. The ones that have done well for me were in a raised bed, so they drained well but still got enough moisture from our wet winters here.

I had talked to a researcher in thailand a few years ago and she had mentioned C. roscoeana being different in its dormancy, a quiescence is what she referred to versus a full dormancy. The term means dormant, so don't know how valid the terminology is. It is the latest bloomer, well C. aurantiaca can fall into the same late group. 'Scarlet Fever' is the last to go down though.

Tim Chapman

these should not be sold here in CA.
they will come back, but they start so late,ie june!!,that they never get large enough to flower here,before the weather turns cool!
THROW THEM AWAY!!,or give them to someone in FL,LA etc
you will just get frustrated!!!
try australasiica
roscoeana,will some times bloom,but is not reliable

What is Siam Tulip commonly called in Chinese?