Jim Lycos recently commented about his work at breeding dark red (black) hippeastrums. I selfed a home-bred specimen that bloomed last year with a purplish look to the flowers. This impression was created because there were a number of "dots" of another color superimposed on the usual red. If I had a Royal Horticultural Society color wheel, I could say what color it resembled - but I don't. It may take two more years before we find out if it's possible to lean toward a more purple flower in my strain. The majority of plants in this strain now have white or pink backgrounds, with combinations of red edging and red "dust" or dots. Some are a darker red with dots of another color, and white streaks -Cynthia Mueller, College Station, TX.