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A vigorous tuberous climber from Chile. It grew well in the Agave house for many years but two years ago it simply didn't come up and hasn't been seen since. Plants of the World online says: "The native range of this species is Central Chile. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome." In a note in the JRHS for 1846 it says: "Chysis bractescens, and two Tropaeolums - tricolorum and brachyceras - so managed as to have the appearance of a bush. This loose and natural habit is obtained by placing the top of a young Larch tree, with the rough lateral twigs attached, close to the bulbs before they spring, and leading the young shoot to this stake, round which it continues to twine, until the whole support is closely covered with foliage and flowers, presenting an exceedingly graceful appearance, and entirely dispensing with the trouble of training and tying." Kenneth Beckett wrote in the JRHS in 1979: "Tropaeolum brachyceras appears seldom to have been cultivated in Britain and almost certainly was lost to cultivation until 1972 when we reintroduced it as BCW.4182. In habit it is like a more robust T. azureum, reaching 6 1/2 feet or more in height (+ 2m) depending on the size of the supporting bush. Thje flowers which expand widely as in T. azureum, are described as yellow, but those we found and collected seeds of were biscuit or beige-yellow, a pleasing but not spectacular colour. It grew in the same srid region but at a greater altitude and where it can be cold in winter. I have had no luck in germination the seeds of this plant so cannot make cultural comments based on experience. It is probably of border line hardiness in Britain and growable outside in sheltered sites in sharply drained soil or with protection from winter wet." |
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| 12th December 2015 | ||
