What are some diploids, please?

20 years ago

Well. I have a new bulb of H. papilio. (Yes, only one; how foolish!) It and its 'bulblet,' which is almost as large as the parent, are sending out great foliage without a hint of a bloom stalk. No big surprise.

Then, a few days ago, I found a potted papilio, with buds well enough developed for me to tell that it really was true to name. It came home with me. No big surprise...[sigh]

I have two papilio blooms and I'd like to pollinate them. Nothing else in bloom around here is diploid, so I'm thinking about Hans-Werner's EXCELLENT idea of buying a cut-flower stem for pollination. Of course, the varieties for sale as cut flowers around here are usually the huge red and white 4ploid hybrids, but I plan to visit the one florist where I've seen other, less common Hippeastrum sold as cut flowers. I'd like to go there with as long a list of diploids as I can, because pickings are sure to be slim.

I know much less about Hip. ploidy than I'd like to. Here are the ones I'm pretty sure are diploid:

Lemon-Lime

Amputo

Pink Floyd (Oh, to find a stem of this for sale! That would be great...)

Emerald

Chico

(I think) Lima

" La Paz

" Ruby Meyer

Of course, many if not all of the other species, but there is no hope of finding stems of these for sale in a florist shop around here.

Can anyone suggest other diploids? Or, if you happen to know the Cambridge, MA/metro Boston (USA) area, any florists where I might find more unusual varieties for sale?

Last question: 'Amalfi' is tetraploid, right? It's in bloom right now, and I'm tempted to put some of its pollen on papilio. But I'd think the likelihood of that cross taking would be pretty low, and, as I've only got two papilio blooms....

Many thanks for any help or suggestions,

Amanda

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
Original Author
20 years ago
For anyone interested, here is a link to one of Hans-Werner's discussions on breeding H. papilio. It includes a great deal of information, plus photos of gorgeous hybrids and a very helpful link.

Thanks to all who contributed to that post.

Amanda

Here is a link that might be useful: Hans-Werner's papilio x 4n
JaapM
20 years ago
...
and another-one, also by Hans Werner ( many thanks to this chap ! )in another amaryllis-forum.
Check out post date : November 01 2005.

Jaap

Here is a link that might be useful: Tinkers Garden Forum
Related Professionals
Frederick Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Toledo Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Coeur d'Alene Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Florence Landscape Contractors · Cookeville Landscape Contractors · Longview Landscape Contractors · Eau Claire Landscape Contractors · Marinette Landscape Contractors · Glenwood Springs Landscape Contractors · Lawrenceburg Architects & Building Designers · Mankato Architects & Building Designers · Edison Architects & Building Designers · Clearlake Architects & Building Designers · San Francisco Architects & Building Designers · Spanish Fork Architects & Building Designers
Creeping_Fig
20 years ago
It is my understanding that all commercial hybrids are tetraploid. I think even the cybister hybrids are 4N as well.

Almost all of the species are 2N, although there are a few that are 4N (most of the species that were used in producing today's hybrids).

CF
haweha
20 years ago
I assume that the Cybister hybrids are mostly Diploids (perhaps some triploids)!

I presume that Lemon Lime is one tetraploid hybrid!

I suppose that the mechanism 2n ---> 4n is to be understood in this manner - that...
spontaneously generated 4n hybrids from 2n hybridizations were - without knowing this fact - SELECTED due to their superior growing properties (size gain) and thus have accumulated during the general hippeastrum breeding history.

But finally I admit - pure speculation of mine.

And with my hunger on a profound elucidation on the phenomenon I DID previously search around in a certain modern book...
(I do not continue - those who have tracked what I have written - redundantly, I think on this Great Book- they will KNOW how I like/dislike *g* to continue.
Yes - deep deception...

Hans-Werner
soultan
19 years ago
I just read recently that Fred Meyer concentrates on producing a lot of new hybrids with diploid species. He is especially fond of Papillio... I hope he can improve on it more than Papillio Improved was improved to... Improved only brought me two flowers on one scape, just as Papillio did, and the flower looked the same. Is it possible that I got Papillio instead of Papillio Improved? I should look into the issue. But how can I prove my point? There are no good, definitive pictures of Papillio Improved, so I cannot even complain...
I am not too impressed with the performance of either of them, so I might not go into the issue, just keep and nurture the bulbs... I have varieties that I am much more fond of than these.