Thanks much, Dan- I really appreciate your reply. What you said makes sense. The reason it didnt grow, I guess, is it was kept in an office-I had given it to a coworker years ago, and it sat undisturbed but with no sunlight. She left the job and the plant. Leaves and bulb are long and narrow. Since the dsaster I have taken it out of the soil because of the moisture. Now i'm wondering how long to let the bulb dry out before putting it back in soil, since there is no tunic (covering). (There will be no covering as long as there are no new leaves growing). Wondering also whether the season matters. Guess I will wait a couple of days then plant it in a relatively dry soil or sand, and hope for the best. something close to desert might be the only thing it can stand without finally rotting to nothingness. Would be a shame if it sat there unresponsive but happy for so long and then I get it and kill it.

Hi Toni, You can get H. coccineus from places like Telos or Shield's Garden (Jim Shields). This is a very common species so will not be a problem at all to get.....best of luck :o) Dan

The way we decided it was grafted is that my friend noticed that the trunk had thorns and so she assumed it was silk floss. Then we noticed that the three silk floss branches on top also have thorns and decidedly different leaves from the one branch that I know was the original. I will try to take a picture but my camera is not charging for some reason. I thought about a mixed tree but since the 3 silk floss branches have all appeared just since Spring and I have gotten no new shavng brush branches I am worried that the silk floss is so much more vigorous that it will take all the energy and I will lose the shaving brush. But I am really just speculating as I have no experience! Calling Eric at Leu is a good idea. Anita PS Katkin - could I get a cutting of your pink shaving brush so I can try to root it? I can trade stuff and have a pretty eclectic collection. If you tell me what interests you I will propose some items. Thanks.

I just came across this very old post because I want to take a cutting from a giant shaving brush (pink) tree that I have on a rental property I own. Trini, did you ever get one? I’m in North Palm and will give you cuttings if you’d like. I’ll keep a eye on this thread.