Beschorneria albiflora flowering.

[Paul S]

I have 3 plants that bear the name Beschorneria albiflora. Physically they look different from each other - one of them especially so with wavy margined leaves more akin to sweetcorn. The other two have flowered and are notably different from each other, plus different from pictures I have seen on the internet, including the gallery here.

The sweetcorn form is now producing a flower spike and it is, even at this early stage, most unlike the others with a long tapered tip to the bracts. I'll chart the progress on this thread then, when it is done, post all my Beschorneria albiflora pics in the gallery for folks to throw darts at.

All of this reinforces my belief that several trunking species of Beschorneria exist but have been clumsily lumped under one name. 'It is a trunking Beschorneria therefore it is B. albiflora'. And don't get me started on the name! None of them are white. Having read his description I truly believe Matuda, when he described B. albiflora, was looking at a Furcraea.

Anyhoo, here is the sweetcorn form - first pics a week ago:

IMG_20240307_124500.jpg (310.29 KiB) Viewed 892 times

IMG_20240307_124801.jpg (220.22 KiB) Viewed 892 times

Here today:

IMG_20240316_104257.jpg (339.02 KiB) Viewed 892 times

[Paul S]

Pic today.

IMG_20240331_093558.jpg (384.78 KiB) Viewed 803 times

[jnewmark]

Interesting plant. Are you growing it in a pot ?

[Paul S]

Its in a raised bed inside my greenhouse. I do have a couple growing outside butwould say it is borderline hardy for my climate, plus none are flowering size yet.

[jnewmark]

Its in a raised bed inside my greenhouse. I do have a couple growing outside butwould say it is borderline hardy for my climate, plus none are flowering size yet.

How tall did the greenhouse plant get before flowering ?

[Bananaguy]

Paul that’s nice! After years of wanting a Beschorneria I finally got one from PDN. Tony has a ton growing all over. Yours looks awesome and curious about your greenhouse… is that glass panels and glass louvers on your vent? My greenhouse has polycarbonate panels 6mm that I have started upgrading to 8mm of better quality.

[Paul S]

Beschorneria - I have a bit of a 'thing' for them - I have most of the species.

Greenhouse - it was a standard 20' x 12' that I had built onto a 3ft wall with a drop door - gives me more headroom in the middle. Then planting beds made around the edges 4ft deep, 6ft deep along the back. I take out a lot of the side panels in summer and replace them with wire mesh to keep it cool/keep the airflow. Let's in the snails, too Here rather over-filled for winter.

IMG_20240101_105708.jpg (432.1 KiB) Viewed 754 times

[Cawsie]

They grow well here in sw Wales where frosts are light. Slugs love them though. Think i'll try this one below. Not sure about hardiness though...

https://www.floragrubb.com/plants-and-t ... howstopper

[jnewmark]

I'm wondering how these might do in large pots ? I have a greenhouse with a raised bed but filled with Agaves and cactus, so, no room.

[Bananaguy]

That’s a big greenhouse! Mine is only 6ft-8ft. Packed full and need a bigger one haha.

[Meangreen94z]

Nice greenhouse.

I have Beschorneria yuccoides. The outer section of leaves burned at 14°F but they are coming back .

[Bananaguy]

Mean,
I have same variety. Is yours in full sun as Tony suggested they don’t grow as well in full sun. West side best is where I’m thinking of putting mine which still gets sun pretty much all day. With no shade except first few hrs of sunrise.

[MJP]

Spectacular, Paul.

[Paul S]

They grow well here in sw Wales where frosts are light. Slugs love them though. Think i'll try this one below. Not sure about hardiness though...

https://www.floragrubb.com/plants-and-t ... howstopper

Whereabouts in SW Wales? I've not grown any of the variegates so can't advise regarding hardiness.

[Cawsie]

Llanelli. 12 miles west of Swansea.

[Paul S]

Interesting, never been but it looks lovely. I bet that is really mild! Close to the National Botanic Garden, too - I visited there around 5 years ago and enjoyed looking round.

[Paul S]

Flowers are out and they are as odd as the rest of it. Stem and bracts remain a string pink-red. The flowers themselves start green, fade to creamy white then develop red stripes - at which point the anthers ripen.

IMG_20240504_125801.jpg (287.51 KiB) Viewed 135 times

[Paul S]

Pics of th flowers at different stages/colours.

IMG_20240504_125826.jpg (134.5 KiB) Viewed 66 times

IMG_20240506_141452.jpg (152.74 KiB) Viewed 66 times

IMG_20240506_141517.jpg (169.05 KiB) Viewed 66 times

[Minime8484]

Very cool!