Jude,
Your and the Bot Gardens papilio is grown in the medium or groud because
it was put there but it's a naturally epiphytic species from the Atlantic
Forest, I do not grow my H. papilio as an epiphyte but I know several who
do and it thrives. It can also be grown as a terrestrial plant (found this
way in nature too) as you, the Bot Gardens and most others growers tend to
cultivate it.
There are several epiphytic species such as Hippeastrum arboricolum,
aulicum, calyptratum and papilio. The latter three are commonly cultivated
as terrestrial plants and as for the first it is said to be extinct.
Read the Hippeastrum papilio information via the wiki for more
information.
Josh
On Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 9:26 PM, The Silent Seed <santoury@aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> While I can't vouch for H. bukasovii's behavior, I am surprised that you
> say H. papilio is. I've never seen it grown as anything other than a
> standard, in the dirt, that is. Mine do well, and I'd be interested in
> hearing from others who grow it.
> I've also seen them at botanical gardens, growing in the ground - and they
> are also in the ground, buried.
> Jude
>
>