Valves: Persistent during flowering, stiffy erect, six inches or less in height by one and a half inches wide.
Pedicels:Shorter than the valves, almost triangular in section.
Ovaries: Small. Tube very short.
Flowers: All pointing in same direction# scentless, mauve to intense bluish -mauve, with a white base. General colouration is like that of Griffinia hyacinthine (which is a common plant lower down the mountains). The segments are most deeply coloured towards their apices. The middle zone is lighter in colour, and is profusely spotted with small, reddish-purple spots and the inner segments are, in this zone curiously veined towards their edges with short, irregular, mauve markings. Exteriorly, the segments are copiously spotted and flushed with whitish and pink marks towards their bases, and keeled with green at their apices. Span four and a half to five inches. Limb six inches.
Segments: The three inner, one and a quarter inches wide, the three other more than one inch, overlapping the inner. In some forms the segments are not so wide.
Stamens: Contiguous, much shorter than the limb.
Pollen: Light yellow.
Style: Exceeding the stamens but shorter than the limb. Stigma: Tri-capitate, ciliate.
Fruit: Dehiscing in five months, and containing forty four or forty five jet black, D shaped seeds. These are much thicker than in other hippeastrums, not at all winged, but very acutely angled, with all edges raised. The edges of seeds touching the outer envelope of the fruit are strangely marked (see figure above) although the envelope itself is smooth. They show about six transverse marks or bars on their double edges.
Gestative Period: About two and a half times as long as is the case in other Hippeastrums.
In the fruits raised at Isleworth a good proportion of the seeds were fertile, and the seedlings grew well for two years but slowly. Their appearance was true to type.
This plant will withstand temperatures down to the freezing point for a short time, but being evergreen, it should not have its growth brought to a complete standstill by cold. It will grow in temperatures between 40 degrees and 55 degrees F, and will expand its flowers fully at day temperatures of about 60 degrees F. In its natural habitat the temperatures of this period vary between 55 and 75 degrees F. The flowering period in the Organ Mountains is January and February (high summer) corresponding to our July and August. March is the close of the flowering period (our September).
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Gary Buckley's Alpines and Bulbs topic, please visit the Discussions page.