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kirrr

Is this an Albuca?

9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

(Wasn't sure to post this in the bulb forum or in here but did a search for 'albuca' and most of the posts are in here, so...)

About 2 years ago, when I bought it, it was only a single bulb in a one inch pot. It was displayed along with some cacti and succulents. I gave it a 3 inch pot and they have multiplied to this.

I suspect it's either an albuca or an ornithogalum juncifolium. It never flowered so I don't know.

Tried to repot it today and am surprised at how shallow growing the roots are. It looked like ramen noodles lol.

Anyone knows what it is exactly?

or have any idea how to get it to bloom?

It's been under full sun and I water it regularly like a tropical plant.

Comments (9)

  • 9 years ago

    I think that's pregnant onion, right? Albuca bracteata. I used to have way too many, but never saw a bloom.

    kirrr thanked ariel7576 (Puerto Vallarta, Mex.)
  • 9 years ago

    i don't know... pregnant onions have wide flat leaves. Mine has many thin stringy leaves...

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Most likely it could be whats called Albunca Setosa. If not it is an Albunca In my experience (and zone) Albunca can take a long long time to flower to mean the bud to flower time can take several months to fully bloom.

    Flowering ( like the bulbs) also tend to be more opportunistic than regular meaning it can take more than one to two seasons to see any flowering buds or you could get them to flower two - three times in a season or two. At this time of the year if it where to flower you should be seeing tiny drop sized buds in the inner middle of a bulb. ( Also to mean at any time of year and any season if they are to flower)

    Flowering tips: Albunca bud to flowering here can take as long as six months it helps a lot to let the grassy leaves be and remain upright as they tend to drop and droop if to much frequent watering and or to heavily watered when applied.

    Yours in pic: Nice sizes with neat clean plump bulbs looks real nice has lots of new growth for two years. As you see yours is like other Albunca, they don't mind being jammed in a little snug yours has a potted habit of growing new bulbs on top of the older don't be afraid to use a nice shallow pot for them over time they'll pile up on top of each other.

    Also for reference (mentioning wide leaves and opportunistic) This is a neighbor to Albunca called Ornithogalum longibractum AKA pregnant onion aka false sea onion it hasn't flowered in the past three years.


    also a neighbor to Albunca is Bowiea volbus with some tiny flowering buds developing for the second time this year.

    (One week old pic)



    IMO I agree to not wanting a plastic pot but on the other hand it's better to let them remain in the same pot for as long as they can. Let them grow out of a pot on they're own or until the pot breaks by the bulbs growth or by natural causes.

    kirrr thanked nomen_nudum
  • 9 years ago

    Thanks for the id and info, nomen_nudum!

    It doesn't seem like it will flower this year and it never did in the 2+ years I've had it. I wonder if it needs colder weather to form flower buds.


  • 9 years ago

    Or maybe they're too small to flower. The bulbs are only about the size of my thumb. The pictures of albuca setosa flowering (on google image search) looks like much bigger plants.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    probably a typo, but correct name is Albuca (not Albunca)

    kirrr thanked rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
  • 9 years ago

    My bad thanks for the spell check

    kirrr thanked nomen_nudum
  • 9 years ago

    Whatever you have it is a very nice well grown bulb. Thanks for sharing.

    kirrr thanked aloebot
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