Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum -- A Fragrant Semi-Trumpet Bloom

Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum -- This is a wonderful cross of H. papilio and H. brasilianum that really shows the progeny of both species quite well!  There are between 3-4 blooms usually on each scape that are fragrant as a result of using H. brasilianum. The higher flower count is also inherited from it's father, H. brasilianum which usually carries four flowers per scape.  Hippeastrum papilio is much less giving with two flowers per scape, I have seen a wonderful clone that has a three flower count which is quite rare!  Hippeastrum papilio is vividly expressed in the bloom with many like characteristics such as the green cast on the tepals, the cranberry markings and overall coloring where as brasilianum adds a semi-trumpet shape to the bloom and creates some intriguing twists and turns with the tepals!

Hippeastrum papilio x brasilianum
F1 cross

Overall I think this bloom is a winner, it's a strong growing plant and fragrant as an added bonus (which isn't all too common in Hippeastrum), I will enjoy this bulb for quite some time!  The leaves are glaucous with a rounded tip, the bulb has an ovoid shape with a short neck with very tall scapes.  The bulb is self fertile, it would be great to see what the offspring may look like!

Hippeastrum ferreyrae -- An Endangered Peruvian Species

Hippeastrum ferreyrae is one of Peru's native endangered plants according to the 1997 IUCN's Red List, this may not be the case now as it has been fourteen years since being published.  While we all hope that H. ferreyrae has increased in population the likeliness of this is quite slim.  Thank goodness this plant is being grown by a few others and it is possible we have different clones to produce seed.  Of course I will try to self pollinate but the outcome of it producing seed with its own pollen isn't great as most Hippeastrum are not self fertile. 


Hippeastrum ferreyrae is native to Peruvian forests at around 150-200m in elevation and is also found in quite a few Peruvian gardens around the native area.  They bloom usually in September in the Southern Hemisphere and obviously my plant has yet to switch it's growing period to the Northern Hemisphere but it's quite nice to have something bloom when everything else is slowing down for the year!

Hippeastrum ferreyrae

 H. ferreyrae can bloom from incredibly small bulbs, the bulbs can grow to a substantial size and usually only have 2-3 flowers per scape.  The bulbs generally have short necks and leaf out following the blooming period.  The coloring of the flowers could almost be mistaken for a pink but they're a salmon color to almost a red with a luminescent overcast on the petals.  They flowers aren't large by any means but they're not small with the pollen being a nice golden yellow at anthesis.  It seems to be a prolific off setter as is it's very close relative Hippeastrum puniceum. 

Hippeastrum bukasovii - A Peruvian Gem

Hippeastrum bukasovii is an incredible species found in San Juan, Peru at elevations of 600-800m in a very organic mix including lots of leaf litter as the plants are found in a deciduous forest.  I grow mine in a mixture of orchid bark, perlite, pumice and humus with each containing equal parts.  I prefer to grow many of the species from the Andes in a very porous mix to discourage rot which is quite a problem with Hippeastrum or other geophytic plants.

Hippeastrum bukasovii

Peru is home to some extraordinary bulbous species from Amaryllidaceae such as Pyrolirion, Hippeastrum, Ismene, Eucharis, Stenomesson and a few others.  Pyrolirion is an endangered genera which are similar in appearance to Habranthus or Zephyranthes but with spoon shaped stigmas, they're quite attractive but very rare in cultivation, hopefully I can share more knowledge about them in the future as the information available is quite scarce.



Hippeastrum bukasovii has the characteristic green star that many Peruvian species share, I think it adds to their beauty and gives them a very exotic look.  The flowers don't open very wide and sadly it is self-sterile like most Hippeastrum species which means you need two different clones to create seed.  Luckily there is more than one clone in cultivation making reproduction via seed possible.  This bulb once considered extremely rare in cultivation has increased considering the recent travels to Peru, it's quite a lovely plant and I'm glad there are more with the opportunity to grow it!



A Brief Introduction....

Here I am, I've decided to build a place for myself and others that will show my interests in geophytic plants and those especially of the family Amaryllidaceae!

Hippeastrum are my primary focus, the flamboyant, exuberant flowers are quite a spectacle that are still incorrectly know as Amaryllis which is a genera of two species from South Africa.  Hippeastrum have long been grown and hybridized because of their ease of forcing and their particularly large flowers.  Hippeastrum are sold usually during the Holiday seasons for Christmas forcing, there is also a new group of small flowering varieties that are sold in spring for summer blooming which are said to be hardy down to zone 7b (USDA).  I'm not really sure how reliable they would be in a zone 7b winter which can include temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit; maybe these hybrids are progeny of the incredibly hardy Hippeastrum x johnsonii which I've seen growing as far north as zone 6? 

While the hybrids of Hippeastrum are a quite popular and are beautiful plants I prefer to grow species with a few exceptions.  The species aren't nearly as tough but I would argue that many are equally or more beautiful than the large hybrids we have today.  There are so many variations in the species and they exist in almost every color imaginable with the exception of blue.  They're native to the Caribbean Islands, Mexico and throughout South America with Brazil and along the western side of the Andes Mountain Range hosting the majority of species. 

Hippeastrum puniceum
Quillabamba, Peru

It seems that many species also contain a multitude of varieties or forms and   many are really difficult to decipher like the orange clade containing: Hippeastrum striatum, petiolatum, puniceum and blossfeldiae which all are native to Brazil with only H. blossfeldiae being endemic.  H. puniceum has a very large distribution and grows basically everywhere Hippeastrum are found.  Some of my favorite forms of H. puniceum are a red form (pictured on the left) that I grow from Quillabamba, Peru and Hippeastrum puniceum var. semi plena which is a double form native to Puerto Rico and Mexico as well. 

I will be updating my blog as much as possible, I will make sure to post pictures of everything as it blooms and I will write as much as I can about each species I post.  I hope I can do as much with this blog as I have it in my mind I will do!