I have never grown this bulb, but I believe it comes from Namaqualand, and the area around Niewoudtville, where it is extremely hot and dry in summer. However, the bulbs grow on the edges of rivers (seasonal?), and they may be quite wet during the growing season.

They are deciduous in situ, but are known to stay evergreen unless all water is witheld during the summer.

I am currently growing this from some wild collected seed here in the SF Bay Area, and although it all germinated, and seemed quite happy in our wet winter rainy season, it is not doing much at the moment in summer, and seems rather small at one year out. It does seem to have amazing adaptive abilities; not dying in a small 4 inch pot that has sometimes become bone dry in early summer, and I took pity on the seedlings and finally transplanted them into a larger/deeper group pot. I must admit I have not fed them regularly, and perhaps this would make a big difference.

Where I saw them in habitat, they were literally growing within seasonal shallow running water, and the seeds had often germinated while still on the seed stalk. The shallow running stream was in late spring mode, still running, but would have become bone dry later in spring, with very hot dry weather following. It was already quite abit warmer in early spring than our local California summer conditions here in the SF Bay Area. I will let you know their future progress, but at present, they seem to have decided to go dormant, even with intermittent watering.

C. bulbispermum are currently in bloom at Suncrest Nursery in Watsonville, Ca. where I saw them being grown in full sun with regular watering. The flowers were a nice candystriped pink and white. I have tried this one in the past, but found it was irrisistible to slugs and snails, and didn't do well in my part shade conditions. C. moorei and C. powellii do much better for me by comparison, and thrive with just regular garden water, taking shade or sun.

Hi,

I am encouraged to hear they can grow in alternating wet and dry conditions. That is exactly what I have, swamp for 4-5 months, and 7-8 months of alternating drought and rain. This part of the world (greather Houston area) is truly a seasonal swamp. The turtles and armadillos love the weather and I'm hoping C. variabile will too.

Cordially,