I'll try to remember to check for suckering from my Melianthus. If I find one with good roots, I'll mail it to you. If I find one with so-so roots, I'll pot it up for a few weeks for it to establish roots and then mail it to you. I'll let you know what I find. If you don't here from me, send me an e-mail, as it means I probably forgot...

Can these be treated as an annual?

As long as you don't expect to see them bloom they can be grown as annuals.

I grow Melianthus major in South Africa and the flowers are full to the brim with nectar which brings hordes of birds (especially sunbirds) to the garden. These are fascinating plants which tolerate a wide variety of conditions. I prune mine severly every autumn to stop them becoming straggly. We don't get frost though so I suppose thats why they come back so vigorously. What did you wrap them in, I heard some straw around the stem wrapped in hessian sacking is very effective.

Do any South Africans in the group know the purpose of the rotating flower on Melianthus (major, at least)?
For those who don't know, Melianthus flowers produce a ton of thick, brown nectar in an upright flower. Then the flower stalk slowly rotates, spilling the nectar on to the leaves below. This often thickens into a honey-like consistency, which is quite tasty, if you can avoid too much of the nasty leaf-flavor from coming off with the 'honey'.
I provided a picture...

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1236255}}

I just bought this in a 6" pot, and I'm guessing i should plant it out on my sunny south side as soon as possible. Does anyone know if this one is m. major or minor? Right now it's got healthy foliage on a single wiggly stem. will it need staking? Does it need food? Any info appreciated--I can't find much on this plant in various references or online.