Intergeneric Hybrids
Jim Lykos (Mon, 07 Jun 2004 21:21:59 PDT)

Hi Mary Sue,

Hopefully Hippeastrelias will become more frequent visitors to our
gardens - and I think that we can assume that they will all have a
different Hippeastrum parents, and some of them may also hail from
different Sprekelia species - adding to the complexity of really knowing
their origins.
I've come across many intergeneric hybrids amongst orchids and as with
all plants the intergeneric hybrid name is by international botanical
rules a fusion of the two genera names. This fused name then takes
the place of the two genera , so the new generic title is used together
with a cultivar name. That is assuming that the breeder or the
person who raised the intergeneric hybrid has its cultivar name
registered, or that its name comes into print and common use.

Using the the examples you gave - xAmarygia (Amaryllis/Brunsvigia)
follows botanical nomenclature wheres the earlier intergeneric name of
Brunsdonna doesnt as its a generic (Brunsvigia) and species
(belladonna) combination.
Hence if we pick on a few well known white flowered xAmarygia - we have
cultivars (cultivated varieties) such as:
xAmarygia parkeri
xAmarygia Hathor
xAmarygia Frank Leach
or in the instance of a developed and notable strain :
xAmarygia Multiflora Alba
xAmarygia Multiflora Harbord
Its quite likely that two to three Brunsvigia species were used in
creating some of these white xAmarygia cultivars.

In the instance of xAmarcrinum, the hybrid cross using Amaryllis
belladonna and Crinum moorei was named "Amarcrinum howardii" and had
an earlier name of Crinadonna corsii. When the IBS was registering
these hybrids and printing their names in Herbertia journals -
different Crinums species were used, however, most of these cultivars
have identities that are now largely forgotten.
As I have found from experience in Camellia cultivar registration, it is
pointless to register a new cultivar unless there is an intention to
propagate or widely distribute this cultivar to aid in this preservation
and identity over time. Otherwise its name is epthermal and disappears
with its raiser.
If different Crinum species are used to cross with Amaryllis then the
hybrids would need to be registered to acquire official cultivar
names, otherwise the only way to preserve the identity of the cross
is its full name eg. Amaryllis belladonna x Crinum macowanii.
However, if a third genera is used eg xAmarygia X Crinum then the
person registering this more complex hybrid for the first time can
create a totally new genera name that doesnt require genera name
fusions. Obviously this would only come into use if there is a Plant
registration authority who accepts this new hybrid genera name.

This leads to a further question who now are the registration
authorities for new bulbous hybrid plants? The situation is more
complex than that of orchid hybrids which are registered worldwide via
RBG Kew. Most countries have plant cultivar registration authorites but
some genera have specific international registration societies. For
instance, the Clivia Society of South Africa is the Clivia hybrid
registration authority. Is it still correct that the IBS is the
registration authority for Hippeastrum hybrids?

Cheers

Jim Lykos
Blue Mountains
Australia

Mary Sue Ittner wrote: