My favorite onion relative has started blooming again! Schizobasis intricata is a small, well behaved plant that is undeniably unique. The base is a swollen caudex, reportedly up to 2 inches in diameter. Mine are much smaller; about an inch. Originally it was a single bulb, but about a year ago another smaller bulb poked it’s top out of the sand.
From the top of each bulb sprouts a delicate, but wiry, bright green tendril. Every inch or so it splits at a sharp angle, and each new tendril continues to split at regular intervals. At just a few inches above the base, the mass of green becomes a tangle reminiscent of Cosmo Kramer. The flowers of S intricata appear at the end of a tendril, and are very small. The petals are waxy and white, and have no smell that I can detect.
The flowers are self fertile, so a single plant will produce viable seed. I have been able to collect a dozen seeds or so, but the past few months haven’t seen any flowers that produce any fruit. Hopefully this new round of blooms will see a change in that!
I have been able to entice it into blooming every few months by giving it a dry cycle after a flush of blooms. After the flowers are spent, I stop watering altogether until the bulb itself is fairly shriveled and brown. At that point the tendrils are dry and brown as well, and I cut them off at the base. Once a few weeks of this drags on, I start watering again religiously but sparingly. My soil mix is extremely fast draining, so it doesn’t sit in water for more than a few minutes. Reliably, it starts to send out it’s chartreuse fingers in search of the sun (in my case it’s t5 lights) and with them follows the flowers.
I hope this inspires you to take another look at your overlooked Schizobasis… or maybe even consider growing one! It is very easy, and isn’t something you’re likely to see everyday.
Big Leaves 