Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidaceae with 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars. The genus is native to tropical regions of the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. The Hippeastrum main page has information about cultivation and lists the species and hybrids that are included in the PBS wiki.
This page contains Hippeastrum species P-Z. Other species are found on the Hippeastrum species A-O page.
Hippeastrum papilio (Ravenna) Van Scheepen is an endangered epiphytic species within subgenus Omphalissa that, paradoxically, is increasingly propagated among gardeners while its natural range is degraded and diminished. It is native to tropical forests of the Atlantic Coast of southern Brazil and was first scientifically collected only in the late 1960s. In the next decades, plant breeders in Holland and the United States began to develop unique hybrids that express papilio's resistance to Hippeastrum Mosaic Virus (HMV).
In 1967, H. papilio was discovered in a garden in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, by Dr. Carlos A. Gómez Rupple, an Argentine collector. The species was published as Amaryllis papilio by Argentine botanist Pedro Félix Ravenna (Pierfelice Ravenna) in 1970, after a genus Papilio of swallowtail butterflies due to the resemblance of the inner tepals to the wing tails of the insects (hence, the common name of 'Butterfly Amaryllis'). In 1997, Van Scheepen separated New World amaryllids (Amaryllidaceae) from African true Amaryllis and assigned the genus name Hippeastrum to the American species. Hippeastrum papilio was considered extinct in its natural habitat until the 1990s, when an Escondido, California plant breeder, Fred Meyer, observed it growing in tall trees in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Hippeastrum papilio survives now as a population of approx. 50 plants within a 4-square-mile patch of Atlantic Forest habitat, fragmented by roads and drains. These survivors are representatives of larger species and genus distribution. The forest's original 476,000 square miles was reduced to only 38,600 square miles, first by sugarcane and coffee plantations and later by urbanization. The original forest was about the size of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida combined. The remaining forest is smaller than Mississippi.
This species is quite constant in terms of the shape of its tepals, although the degree of lateral compression does vary. On the other hand the color can vary from white through a creamy-green, to a quite dark apple-green with carmine, maroon or purple striations. Among the 80+ known Hippeastrum species, many cultivated species can each be traced to only a few plants that were collected and propagated. Thus, commercial Hippeastrum producers risk loss to diseases, because only about 10% of Hippeastrum genomic diversity is present in existing cultivars. Hippeastrum papilio is an evergreen that does not display any symptoms of infection by Hippeastrum Mosaic Virus (HMV). Thus far, its hybrid offspring express a wide range of levels of resistance to mosaic virus. Some bulbs of H. papilio are self fertile, and some are self sterile. Len Doran suggested that the species was of natural hybrid origin and does breed true within the parameters of a species description. Some forms are green flowered with the dark red markings and others are white with red or very dark marking. In any case, it is a wonderful very easy plant to grow in pots or in the garden. It can even take some mild frost on the leaves in winter.
In Brazil, H. papilio blooms in October, the southern hemisphere spring, but in cultivation in the United States and Europe, H. papilio may bloom at any time in late winter to early spring. The flowers will readily set seeds, but will not self-pollinate. The plant also multiplies by producing off-shoots of bulbs. It is among the most vigorous of the Hippeastrum species, with rapidly growing seedlings, making it an excellent parent for hybrids. However, some cross-pollination with existing hybrids produces seeds that grow vigorously at first, but abort after 28 days due to chromosome incompatibility.
Photos below were taken by Jennifer Hildebrand in February 2003, Doug Westfall in March 2003, and Arnold Trachtenberg.
Photos 1-3 were taken by Liz Waterman grown from a bulb obtained through BX 3, Aug. 2002 from Cathy Craig. It started to open New Year's eve, and on New Year's day it was fully open and a 2nd bloom was beginning to show. In photo 3, the lower left background is a clump of Bomarea flowers. Photos 4-6 were taken by Mariano Saviello of plants grown in his greenhouse.
Hippeastrum parodii is native to Bolivia and northwestern Argentina and is considered a "tropical desert" bulb as it comes from hot "dryish" land. The tepals are white to cream to greenish-yellow. In habitat, plants receive rain from December-March (part of spring and summer). Dormancy takes place during part of autumn, winter, and part of spring. In cultivation, the bulbs are dormant for the winter and half the spring. Photo from Doug Westfall taken July 2008.
Hippeastrum petiolatum is from Argentina. Photos by Doug Westfall. The first image (May 10, 2004) is very nearly the actual size of the flowers. This form is quite orange in color.
Hippeastrum puniceum. The first photo taken March 2004 by Lee Poulsen is of some bulbs he gathered down near sea level in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Lee was struck by the color of the flowers, unlike other species he was familiar with. The second photo taken March 2004 by Cynthia Mueller, also identified by an earlier name, H. equestere, was found in Sealy, Central Texas. She described it as "Very orange - two blooms per scape, small plant. Self fertile." The third photo by Hans Joschko is of a species collected from the Chaco in Bolivia from a friend of his that experts think looks like this species.
Hippeastrum reginae is a widespread species in South America. Photos taken August 2005 in southern Brazil by Tarcísio Eduardo Raduenz.
Hippeastrum reticulatum within the subgenus Sealyana was discovered in 1820. It grows in wet organic sandy soils in Southern Brazil (500-2500 ft) and usually needs a 4-6 weeks dormancy during winter and blooms in the fall. It was one of the earliest hippeastrums to be discovered and brought into cultivation in Europe and was introduced by Edward Whitaker Gray in 1777 and first described as Amaryllis reticulata in 1788. The tepals were described as "petalis transverse venosis distincta", a reference to the defining feature of this species with an unusual and exquisite reticulated veining of the flower in a color of darker than the generally pink or purplish pink background of the tepals.
This species is self-fertile. This mode of reproduction, although it does not guarantee a high genetic diversity in natural populations, allows the multiplication through seed while in isolation, so it is a strategy used by many colonizer species. However, H. reticulatum is an exception, since most of the species of Hippeastrum are generally self-infertile and cross-pollinated. Furthermore, they have several strategies to prevent self-pollination and encourage allogamy (outcross). Thus, there are self-incompatible species, which can only produce seeds if they receive pollen from individuals that are not genetically related. Generally the pollen is released about two days before the stigma is receptive, which also tends to ensure cross-pollination. This species and its varieties differ from other Hippeastrum in having round, turgid, fleshy seeds, which are rich in lipids and usually orange-red, and not black and papery.
Both var. reticulatum and var. striatifolium grow mixed together, indicating that the varietal characteristics are caused by one or a few genes (the white leaf stripe carries over to F1 hybrids). The plants grow in sandy soil underneath a vegetation type known as Forest Mussununga. The trees in this forest have smaller diameters with the canopy rarely exceeding 15-20 m which allow ample light to reach the floor. These forests occur all along the coast, mainly on the flat parts of the Coastal Plains and part of the coastal strip and extend to the interior in elongated shapes, which can reach more than 13km continuously. The sandy soils have poorly developed structures, low capacity to retain moisture and nutrients, and suffer during the rainy season due to strong influence of groundwater. The organic layer present in these subsurface soils often acts as a barrier hindering both the root development and the passage of water. It is a fragile ecosystem that is easy degraded and has a difficult recovery from disturbance. These forests are abundant in bromeliads (25 species), orchids (100 species), and Araceae (21 species). Among the most common species in tree layer, include: Guapira opposita (João-mole), Kielmeyera albopunctata (Nagib), Andira nitida (Angelim-de-morcego), Manilkara subsericea (dyke), M. subsericea (Sapatão), Simira eliezeriana (Maiate), Aspidosperma pyricollum (Pequiá-sobre), Eugenia sulcata (Araçatuba), Gomidesia martiana (Batinga-da-mussununga), E. bimarginata (Batinga-cabocla), Ocotea neesiana (Canela-da-mussununga) and O. notata (Zico).
Hippeastrum reticulatum var. reticulatum is native to Brazil. The photos below were taken in the wild. It can be found in sandy soils, rich in organic matter.
Hippeastrum reticulatum var. striatifolium is native to southern Brazil (Linhares, Espíritu Santo). It is also sold in the province of Misiones (Argentina) as an orchid. There is a single longitudinal pure white stripe running the full length of the mid-rib. The veining in the flowers was described as less pronounced than in the type form. The flowers can be pale pink with deep veining to a richer pink combined with a dark magenta reticulation, to an almost purple-pink shade with very dark veins. There is a small-sized clone in Cairns Botanic Gardens (Queensland, Australia) of the darker flowers with unusual purple flecks and streaks on the underside of the leaf. The red color of the inner walls of the capsule when it opens is suggested as an attractant to dispersal agents like birds.
Photo 1 courtesy of Alan Meerow illustrates this variety. Photo 2 was taken by Jay Yourch in August 2007. Photos 3-6 were taken by Mariano Saviello of plants growing in his greenhouse. The last photo shows the single white stripe down the leaf that is characteristic of this variety.
There are a few hybrids in circulation that mask as real species. However, hybrids such as 'Mrs. Gardfield', 'Silhouette' ,'Bangkok Rose', etc., have leaves that are marked by a yellowish-white median strip(s) (never pure white in F1 hybrids), are shorter, and more blunt with more rounded apex leaves that grow horizontally prostrate, parallel to the ground. The photo below from Arnold Trachtenberg is probably a hybrid and looks a lot like hybrids of this species often do.
Hippeastrum teyucuarense (Ravenna) may be a synonym of the Brazilian species Hippeastrum glaucescens. It has vivid orange brick veined flowers and is extremely rare in cultivation. A recent study by Daviña et al. showed that similarities exist between this species and Hippeastrum iguazuanum and Hippeastrum glaucescens. This species has flat strap like leaves, whereas H. iguazuanum has leaves that are channeled and with the edges folded backwards. It is an early spring bloomer (September in the Southern hemisphere) and offsets as easily as H. iguazuanum. Hippeastrum teyucuarense has been reported to be found in San Ignacio (province of Misiones, Argentina). In Teyú-Cuaré Provincial Park, Province of Misiones, Argentina, it grows in a single hill called "Rock of Victoria" among rocks and rich soils. There has been another report of it growing in Corrientes as well. Local people – who call it "Red Lily" - used to dig it and take it home as a garden flower and, as a result, it is possible to see it in gardens forming clumps that are heavily virused. It sets no seed and it seems the offsetting form is the only one around. The leaf shape and the color is quite irregular. The photo below show a flower stalk with four flowers, taken by S. Rébora, a colleague of Mariano Saviello.
Hippeastrum santacatarina is a southern Brazil species with medium size flowers found growing in bogs. Photograph by Germán Roitman.
Hippeastrum solandriflorum: Deciduous, cool/dry in winter. Requires a deep pot and plant with neck of bulb at soil-level. Photo by Den Wilson.
Hippeastrum sp. This Hippeastrum was collected near Cuzco, Peru by David Victor. It could be H. cuxcoensis or even H. mandonii. Photo by David Victor.
Hippeastrum striatum The photo below was identified as var. petiolatum (= var. flamigerum) by Kevin Preuss for a plant Lee Poulsen says came labelled to him as Hippeastrum puniceum album. This does not appear to be a named variety that is recognized by most sources. This species produces numerous bulbils that may be washed or broken off in nature. From Lee: "The flowers are much smaller than all my other Hippeastrums, about 2in/5cm across and 3in/7.5cm deep. Leaves look like typical Hippeastrum leaves." Photo taken April 2004 by Lee Poulsen.
Photos below taken by Ton Wijnen show a cross between the clones known as 'Petiolatum' and 'Saltão'. This plant seems to be widely cultivated.
Hippeastrum vittatum is from Peru. Photograph by Kelly Irvin, April 2003.
Hippeastrum species A-O - Hippeastrum hybrids A-B - Hippeastrum hybrids C-H - Hippeastrum hybrids I-N - Hippeastrum hybrids O-Unnamed - Hippeastrum index - x Hippeastrelia
For images of Hippeastrum that appear to be virused consult the wiki Virus page