Hi Jane,
if you like, send the pics to my e-mail-adress, then I can show them for you. I know many hippeastrum-sites, but if its such a old 'hairloom', probably you don't find it there.

Greetings from germany
Bettina

I want to see these!

betty_germany has offered to post the pic--I've sent it to her.

Here it comes:

{{gwi:402801}}

And that's the name: http://mpeixoto.sites.uol.com.br/amaryl/vittatum.html

And do you really want to sell some of them? I think, there will be a lot of prospective customers - including ME.

Greetings from germany
Bettina

Thank you Jane and Bettina for both taking part in sharing the photo of the family heirloom amaryllis. I have a question for Jane:

Jane, does this amaryllis have a red center? I can't quite see the center of the flower other than the green. Vittatum has a red center (usually surrounded by green) and has a fragrance-sweet scent. Have you noticed any of such in this particular heirloom? TFS! =)

How nice of you, Bettina! Many THANKS!

Jane,

I would also adore to have a Vittatum! Even if this is not the actual named variety, I would like to have it to cross with Johnsonii and perhaps Amputo. So, if you decide to sell some of them please let me know.

Paxfleur! Do you have any for sale? I am not much on trading and would rather purchase, but if the only way to get one is to trade, then I will...

Cheers!

Mine is ALMOST like the Vittatum! The petals are narrower with wavy edges and the throat is a bright emerald green all the way back. The scent is wonderful and fills the room. Here's the deal about my selling any: I went to the trouble of finding out the conditions under which the Maryland Dept. of Agriculture allows the sale of live plants, so I feel that I had better follow the rules. Without a permit (which I don't have and am not going to get), I can only sell them in the state of Maryland, and that restriction applies to shipping them as well. I know folks here trade and ship plants all over--I did some, too, before I learned the rules--but I'm not going to any more.

Yours is very pretty, Jane!

I don't blame you for wanting to follow the rules. I must say that I do not know all of them. Every state is very different.

Cheers!

Elizabeth, I don't have vittatum....yet! =) It is on my want list for next season. I think Cindee and Lora have them in their collection though. =)

Jane, what part of Maryland are you located in? Do you travel to NoVA? That's quite funny that Maryland has such strict restrictions on the shipping of plant material; and to think I thought Virginia had the most strictest laws/rules of D.C/VA/MD.

I had a huge message composed and accidently deleted it! I found an online print of Hippeastrum Vittatum from the late 1800's that looked like your bloom. If you do a google search for "Hippeastrum Vittatum" you find lots of variations, some with more striping than others, but there are some photos that resemble your bloom more than others.

If it is that old....contact LUDWIG & COMPANY (there's a contact link on their website) and ask them!
Kristi

Now, anyone from out-of-state CAN come to Maryland and buy them and take them home, apparently! But I cannot take them across state lines and then sell them or even give them away. Bureaucracy and loopholes...

Thanks Kristi!

Jane, did you actually talk to someone at the DOA? These regulations seem so silly so I tried calling someone I knew at the office but she had already left the office for the day. I lived in Hawaii for 11 years and they are stricter than strict on bringing in and taking out plants and their regulations were a lot more reasonable than Maryland.

I just read these and, after living in CA, they sound somewhat familiar. The regs apply to "Nursery stock"

http://www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/nurreg.pdf

Nursery stock is defined as:
"Nursery stock" means:
(a) Any hardy plant or plant that survives Maryland winters, including a deciduous or evergreen
tree, shrub or woody vine whether cultivated, native, or wild, and all viable parts of the plant;
(b) Any nonhardy plant or plant part to be distributed in another state that requires plant
inspection and certification before entering that state; and
(c) Any other plant included by the Secretary, if regulating its movement is necessary to control
any dangerously injurious plant pest.

I think you go to the USPS and mail the bulb. As long as it's cleaned of all soil (and accompanying pests!) you should be ok...they are more worried about pests coming in than leaving the state.

Just my 2 cents worth!
Kristi

In Hawaii, the DOA actually inspects all plant material going out of the islands for FREE and stamps all boxes as "Inspected by the DOA of Hawaii" before any packages go out legally. The fact that Maryland doesn't even allow plant material to cross state boundary lines is a bit ???. I'm going to clarify things with one of my acquaintances that actually works for the DOA and see if Maryland is really this unreasonable about shipping plants w/o a permit.

I have "vittatum", or rather "almost vittatum" and am willing to get and send each of you a sizable bulb... only US laws don't allow it! Sigh!!!

Xuan

Here is the word from the MDA--these are the relevant parts of the email I received:

You need to maintain a current and valid Nursery Inspection
Certificate or Plant Dealer's License if you sell, distribute, give
away, or advertise the sale of WOODY plants or if you sell ANY plant
outside of the state of Maryland.

Examples of plants that are not currently regulated and do not
require a license would be: annual bedding plants, tropical
houseplants, or herbaceous perennial species such as peony, hosta, or
asters. But remember, they may only be sold within the state of
Maryland.

sincerely,

Stephen Malan
Plant Protection Section

Jane, perhaps Steve Malan was under the impression that you were going to go commercial and start selling/distributing plants in high volumes? It just makes absolutely no sense. I will personally give the department a call in the late afternoon tomorrow to clarify on this. And just to note; Amaryllises fall under the "tropical houseplants" category as they are not hardy and native in tropical South America/Africa.

Jane, What a lovely treasure! If you find a way, I would enjoy adding one or more of your scented heirloom bulbs to my collection. Perhaps trading or giving the bulbs away for "free" with a suitable "handling and shipping" charge would satisfy the regulations against selling.

Paxfleur, I hope that you are successful in obtaining further clarification. Many thanks for your efforts.

Unless you're selling volume as a commercial operation, I doubt there would any problem sending non-native, non-invasive, clean bulbs anywhere within the 48 contiguous states. The main worries for the Dept. of Ag are invasive plants and pests, which doesn't apply to the lowly Hippeastrum if shipped devoid of soil, and clean.

It's a lovely flower... one that's on my list of future attain-ables!

Good luck geting an answer you like better! The question I asked Mr. Malan was what are the regulations about selling my own surplus houseplants, perennials, and herbs at yard sales. I was very clear that this was not a business, just me as an individual sharing my personal plants with other gardeners. Now, I will tell you that two other people at the MDA gave me different replies (MORE restrictive!) before passing me on to him.

Here's the update so far:

I talked to someone named Gloria from the plant department at the DOA MD and she said that the shipping of plants is allowed according to her knowledge as long as there was no dirt/pests attached to the plant. I used the example, "If I was trying to send a cutting of a houseplant I have to a friend in Kentucky from Annapolis, MD; what would the regulations be?" and she replied that if the plant had dirt, it would be required that the plant be inspected and a phytosanitary certificate would be needed. If no soil was attached, she said it should be okay. However, she did note that the state that the plant would be going to, might have its own regulations on what comes IN so she said regulations/rules go both ways (going in, going out; for instance, I know that if you live in Hawaii, it is illegal to send cactus/cacti to the state of California). Gloria said she would double check on this and have a specialist call me back with a definate answer to my question. I gave her my name and phone number and she said that I would get a call back atleast by tomorrow. Gloria's response is quite different from that of Steve Malan's....I will update you all further when I get the return call from the DOA's plant specialist.

Don't you love the fact that all government personnel are on the same page?! I'm getting quite a giggle out of this!

Jane, I received the official call from Robert Trumbule who is one of the plant specialist. I believe I understand now where you got the "permit" and "nursery license" information. Robert, who was quite the gentleman, said that you do indeed need a permit and/or nursery license if you are selling plants/distributing for profit. With Robert, I used sending plants from Maryland to Virginia as a example/possible scenerio and he replied, "I don't see any problems with sending cuttings or bareroot plants to Virginia as long as all soil is washed off and removed and the bareroot plants or cuttings are wrapped in damp newspaper and sent in plastic bags. Our main concern is plants being sent overseas and the spread of pests. For Virginia, I don't see a problem. But take Florida for example, it would be illegal to send any kind of citrus from Maryland to Florida and vice versa. States like Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, and Hawaii have strict laws regarding the plant materials that enter the state." I did mention your email from Steve Malan (who Robert knew) and Robert said that he believes Steve may have misunderstood what you were saying in terms of the whole 'cannot take plants pass state lines' and 'cannot ship plants'. The catch here is, you cannot sell plants and ship them for profit, but otherwise it IS legal. I also collected Robert's contact information for you (his cellphone, he says he is out in the field most of the time) if you would like to speak to him yourself.

Now, my question for you Jane is, how much were you looking to be compensated for these plants? And would you consider a DONATION or a trade for one of your bulbs? Like I said, Robert said it was completely legal and okay to send bulbs to Virginia and I have his contact information if you would like to clarify things for yourself. =)

Hi Jane
As Paxfluer stated It is illegal for agriculture
crops like citrus ect. to be shipped to certain states
for fear of pests. Arkansas allows plants and bulbs to be
sent or received in trades as long as all soil has been
removed. the pest looked for here is nematodes and fire ants.(dont't have them and sure don't want them) When shipping I also write bareroot live plants on
on boxes and so far have never had a problem.
vikki

Eliz, I think I have a selfed pod on my Vittatum. Will have to make sure, I spied it while I was on the move this evening, it may be on the Johnsonii, I will let you know for sure tomorrow. You are always welcome to some of my seeds.

So...the restrictions they have specifically apply to SELLING plants across state lines? It's a bureaucratic/money issue rather than a pest/disease issue. I think my head hurts! I have no idea of the possible value of the plants at this point--haven't researched prices. All my bulbs (8 total) have recently broken dormancy and are actively growing (two more are going to bloom), so it's not the best time to ship them anywhere. Ummm, I'm tired tonight....

Isn't it ALWAYS about money? And isn't it funny that bureaucrats are the first in line looking for that money? It's a wonder anything gets done at all, politically speaking. Well... the thread was worth a chuckle, at least.

It is a nice idea to exchange bulbs worldwide.
On the other hand, I am not unconditionally a proponent because there is always the risk of distributing nematodes, bulb mites (no, in this case I do not have bulb scale mites in my mind) and virus diseases.

What I vote for is to raise and exchange seeds.

Eliz my Vitattum is crossed with Ferrari. I just have one pod, but would gladly send you at least a few seeds for your previous generosity. Let me know

I've decided I'm going to put them in my yard/plant sale next weekend. Don't know if they will sell or not!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:402800}}