Hippeastrum papilio
John Bryan (Wed, 14 Apr 2004 10:18:01 PDT)

Dear all:

In a recent posting, Angelo Porcelli posted a picture of H. papilio. I
agree with Kevin Preuss that the picture is not H. papilio. The petals
are not as wide, and it is my opinion that the upper 3 petals of H.
papilio are burgundy with an edging of greenish white, the lower 3 are
white with a hint of burgundy. The reverse of the upper petals have a
distinct margin of green which is well defined. Plate 645 of my book
shows a grand planting at the Huntington Botanic Garden. Many scapes are
shown, but it must be remembered this planting was of a considerable
age. I think that Angelo had indeed mixed the labels. Has anyone seen
this species in the wild and have a photograph of it? It would be
interesting to see. By the way, Timber Press still have copies of my
book for sale!! Cheers, John E. Bryan