Bulb and inflorescence development in Leucocoryne ixioides (Hook.) Lind.

Summary

Leucocoryne (Alliaceae) is a genus of bulbous plants with cut-flower potential. They are native to central Chile, which experiences a Mediterranean climate. The plants are ‘dormant’ during the heat of Summer (as bulbs, with no external leaf or root development). Leucocoryne plants ‘resume’ growth in Autumn, with the arrival of the rains and falling temperatures, and flower towards the end of their growth cycle, as temperatures rise again in Spring. Leaf and inflorescence initiation began during the Summer ‘dormant’ period and ended the following Spring. They emerged from the bulbs during the same growth cycle as they initiated. Leucocoryne bulbs consist of a series of sympodial units, each containing two leaves and a terminal inflorescence. The renewal meristem for each unit was initiated at the base of the inflorescence, in the axil of the younger leaf primordium. Leucocoryne bulbs were replaced each growing season. Secondary bulbs were initiated in the axils of the oldest, recently-initiated, leaves during late Spring.