Cypella re-visited


In cooler climates all Cypella make charming green house plants, those blessed with a warmer climate can grow them outside.

  • Cypella aquatilis fairly tall up to 50cm. Flowers erect and bright yellow; above the cylindrical stem, sheathing the stems are the basal flaccid leaves are bright green. The yellow flowers are dotted and streaked with reddish markings. here I stress that there isn't the need, for me, to stand this plant in water, this said; it does like to guzzle water. My growing medium has added peat in it, which seems to suit. I know that Brian Mathew stands his plant of this in a saucer of water. This works for him, so if you are living in a similar climate to Brian, copy him. There is never one set of rules which works, regardless of how many words you write or read. Wherever we garden, the golden rule is to understand the potential enemy, then conquer it; taming it to flowering and becoming friends.

  • Cypella armosa to around 60cm. Flowering late November or even in December. Flowers are yellow with the outer segments spathulate-pandurate, concave below, the blunt somewhat reflexed nearly 4cm. long, and 1.5 cm. wide. Here the inner segments geniculate- recurved, about 1.5cm. long and variously marked yellow to orange and brownish black. From Argentina flowering there November to December, sometimes later. Not going to give Syns: after all, its just too too hard and will take up too much room.

  • Cypella coelestis Syn. Phalocalus coelestus. This Cypella comes from Brazil and Uruguay and Argentina. They are heat lovers, this late flowering summer beauty is a sturdy delight in warmer gardens. The flowers are 50-80cm tall. From seed, expect flowers from the third year.

    They will stand light frosts and if planted in a microclimate, will take temps down to -4 to 6 C, but not too often.

  • Cypella craterantha to 30 cm. The bowl shaped flowers of this are an off yellowish brown. On the outer segments, the yellow darkens and has reddish brown spots; the bowl area with smaller dots.This grows at an altitude of 2900m in Peru, flowering December and January. For this keep pestering the Watsons, (god I love them). Without our patronage of custom, they won't be able to fund expeditions to all the remote places these things come from. How sad a world it would be without John and Anita!
    The copyright of the article Cypella re-visited in Alpines and Bulbs is owned by Gary Buckley. Permission to republish Cypella re-visited in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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