Hippeastrum aulicum

J.E. Shields jshields104@comcast.net
Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:30:28 PST
While we're talking about Hippeastrum, I might mention an interesting 
occurrence.

I've had one plant (numerous bulbs) of H. aulicum stenopetalum for about 30 
years.  I got it from the late Dr. Tom Whitaker, who got it from the front 
yard of a lady somewhere in Brazil.  It blooms for me from time to time, 
depending probably on whether I give it any particular care or not.  Before 
I got it, Tom had grown it in his own front yard in La Jolla, Calif., for 
many years.

It bloomed in the big greenhouse in December, and I took note of the bloom 
but otherwise left it alone.  In 30 years, it has never set any seed, no 
matter how assiduously I pollinated it.  This year, both flowers in the 
umbel set seed pods.  I assume they are "x self," but it is possible that a 
plant of H. mandonii bloomed at about the same time.  In any case, I 
definitely did not pollinate it myself.  Let me stress that it has never, 
ever, set a seed before while in my possession, whether hand-pollinated or 
not.  Rather curious.

Both seed pods had healthy-looking seed in them, and I planted most of the 
seeds yesterday.  I want to see 1) whether they germinate or not; and 2) 
eventually, if they someday bloom, whether they are true to their maternal 
genes or are they hybrids.

Someday I will take a new picture of this plant in bloom.  The most recent 
photos are at least 15 years old, and on 35-mm slides.  Since my slide 
scanner recently died of old age, I'm not able to show you the flower just now.

Jim Shields
in sunny and very snowy Westfield, Indiana
USA




*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344     or      toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA


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