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Hippeastrum elegans x brasilianum
Exciting new primary hybrid of two rare and highly fragrant species! This auction is for a bulb with two offsets that just bloomed for the first time as shown in the pictures.
Most people don't know that there are fragrant hippeastrums. Only a handful of species produce dramatic, elongated, white trumpet blooms in mid summer adapted to nocturnal pollination (likely by hawkmoths).
Hippeastrum brasilianum is endemic to the savannah region of the small coastal state of Epírito Santo in southeast Brazil. It is one of the largest species in the genus with thick, rubbery, glaucous blue-green/grey leaves. It loves heat, bright sun, and needs very well-drained soil. In spring it sends up extremely thick purple peduncles holding waxy, hard, white trumpet flowers with highly undulate, frilly margins. Best of all however, is the incredibly potent Brugmansia-like fragrance produced by these impressive flowers! And unlike shy bloomers like H. argentinum, H. brasilianum reliably blooms every year, with mature bulbs simultaneously producing more than one inflorescence per bulb. This is a very rare species in cultivation and is considered challenging to grow because the bulbs rot easily if not grown in conditions specific to tropical cactus.
Rare in cultivation, Hippeastrum elegans (syn. solandriflorum) has a native range extending from Costa Rica southward into Venezuela and Bolivia. It is a strictly deciduous species with bulbs that like to sit with their necks buried with at least a few inches of soil. H. elegans is a very large species, perhaps one of the largest in the genus for flower mass and height. In late spring they push up inflorescences simultaneously with new leaves, flowers opening sometimes before the leaves fully form. Two to four massive flowers are held atop knee high (sometimes waist high!) stout, decidedly vertical and deeply glaucous peduncles. Unusual for Hippeastrum, the flowers are rotated by degrees so that there is no apparent dorsal sepal.
From a distance H. elegans blooms appear white but are not pure white, a closer look reveals some reddish colouration at the very base of the perianth tube and the tips of the abaxial (backside) surfaces of the sepals are tipped with a rose blush. The nocturnal fragrance is very pleasant and strong; to my nose it is sweet with some notes of spice.
Despite its rarity in cultivation, H. elegans is one of the easier Hippeastrum species to grow. It likes a warm summer (nights above 16C/60F) and in winter it can be overwintered in a frost-free cold frame or indoors. It should be allowed to go bone-dry from the time leaves begin to yellow with the onset of autumn and not re-watered until late spring/early summer when nights are warm again. In a humid summer climate H. elegans can take full sun, but in more arid weather climates it will be happier under 30% shade.
By crossing Hippeastrum elegans with H. brasilianum, this new hybrid will be an improved version of the fragrant, white, trumpet-flowered Hippeastrum. It will benefit from hybrid vigour, making for a stronger and hardier plants than either of the parent species, with a mix of the best qualities of each. We expect these to be strong bloomers with great fragrance and heavy substance. The flowers will be strong, fragrant, white trumpet flowers with frilly margins. Both parents can produce multiple inflorescences per bulb and both are naturally offsetting species (albeit slowly) so increased proliferation may increase. H. elegans may increase inflorescence height and H. brasilianum may promote horizontally held flowers. These will be stunning, very rewarding and true collector's gems.
H. elegans bulbs naturally sit with their necks a few inches beneath the soil surface, whereas H. brasilianum have their necks a few inches above soil level; I recommend potting these up with their necks flush with the soil. So far these have been evergreen in my conditions with leathery leaves that favour the H. brasilianum parent. They have tolerated temperatures as low as a few weeks of 9C/48F nights in winter. Bright light or full sun is recommended for this hybrid. The H. elegans parent confers more tolerance for more frequent watering, though how wet will depend on the variables of your growing conditions.
You are bidding on the bulb shown above
The shipping cost for this listing is for Priority Mail but as it is now winter, Express Mail is recommended for anyone where daytime temperatures are forecast to drop below 40F in the daytime. Please contact me before paying if you prefer Express Mail. I may be able to hold your plants until the weather is safe for shipping.
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Terms and Conditions
(Updated 26 December 2020)
PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING:
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