Re: VMS -- Botany (f55v) Red-Hot Poker

["Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have discovered that Red-Hot Poker is not a correct common name for Veltheimia (Forest/Cape Lily) and should be
disregarded. Red-Hot Poker applies instead to Kniphofia (Torch Lily), which looks similar to Veltheimia; however, the
leaves are not the same. The plant in the VMS (f55v) matches favorably with Veltheimia. I apologize for any confusion that
this may have caused.

Kniphofia:
http://www.cavicchio.com/catalog/kniphofia.htm
http://www.senecahill.com/perennials%205.html
http://cag.iinet.net.au/descs/kniphofia.html

Regards,
Dana Scott

"Dana F. Scott" wrote:

> Veltheimia bracteata (Forest Lily) from South Africa is a very good
> match for the botanical drawing in f55v. It is also known as Cape Lily
> and Red-Hot Poker (there is actually a variety of different flower
> colors). It is interesting to see that the flowers and leaves in the VMS
> have been turned up, away from their natural droop in a mature plant,
> which suggests that the plant may have been drawn from a harvested
> specimen that was dried and preserved. Some of the plants seen in the
> VMS might then have been collected in South Africa and transported up to
> Europe (Italy?) where they were then examined and included in our
> infamous manuscript. The examination of dried plants ex situ could also
> have presented a problem for the VMS scribe when attempting to identify
> the correct colors originally seen in the live plant in situ, especially
> if the person collecting the plant was not the same person making the
> entry in the VMS.
>
> Description:
> http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198501087.html
> http://www.smgrowers.com/velbra.htm
> http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-summer/velthemia.html
>
> Photo:
> http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Veltheimia/Veltheimia_bracteata/V.bracteata.html
>
> http://www.bulbsociety.com/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Veltheimia/Veltheimia_rosalba/V.bracteatarosealba.html
>
> http://www.bulbsociety.com/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Veltheimia/Veltheimia_capensis/Veltheimia_capensis.html
>
> http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-summer/velthemia.html
>
> http://www.dem.de/entertainment/cybergarten/zimmerpflanzen/veltheimia_capensis.html
>
> http://www.hortpix.com/pc4380.htm
> http://www.hortpix.com/pc4381.htm
>
> Regards,
> Dana Scott