Hi Joey,

Please don't try to avoid posting too often, that is what drives this forum; questions, answers, and pictures of lovely flowers!! Most of your questions will most likely be able to be answered by someone here, we have quite a diversified and eclectic group from all over the world, literally!! We often have different opinions which make for lively conversations.

As for your Grandmother's flowers, not being a southerner, I would still venture a guess that they are what you suspect, hippeastrum x johnsonii. If you have a vivid memory of these flowers you can just compare them to Google images. Folks from the south on this forum say that there are a few variations of this plant so your Grandmother's flowers are most likely what you suspect.

As for your friend's papilios, there are various clones of those too so it most likely would be different than what you recently purchased from Royal Colors... (just my opinion of course)... Is there any chance you might be able to avail yourself an offset, I hope so!

Have a great vacation going back home and you might just scout around neighbor's yards, or old farm houses and you might find other varieties blooming in large clumps that homeowners would be willing to share one with you.

Just be aware that the mosaic virus can run rampant in the south so do some research on what to look for, ( primarily leaves) so that you won't add the virus to what you have already collected. Papilio appears to be immune so you should be safe there.

Use the search box at the top of this page to access valuable information from the many discussions that have taken place about this virus on this forum. Most of us have dealt with this at some time or other.

Donna

Hi Joey,

What a wonderful story :-))) I think it's wonderful that you may actually be able to get a hold of your sweet Grandmother's legacy, I think that makes it even more priceless. Since H. x Johnsonii was one of the first hybrids and a favorite pass along plant in the south, it makes perfect sense that this is it and you described it perfectly. Also, please post as often as you like and don't feel like like you shouldn't ask questions or for advice :-)))) How else will you learn if you don't ask questions?

Fred

Thank you all for the wonderful information, advice, and kind words!

Hi Joey,

welcome from me too. I just started posting here a year ago but I already learned so much and found many answers to my questions. And some good laughters sometimes too :-) I especially love your story of your grandmothers amaryllis! It sounds very much like x Johnsonii although I never saw one in real life. I just admire pictures because I don't know where to find them in Europe...

Anja

Thank you, Anja! I am learning. There are lovely people here. I have never had the opportunity to get learn from so many experts. I hope some will be in bloom when I visit and I will take man photos.I do remember playing with the seeds pods when I was younger and I don't recall ever seeing any other colors. If I can get seeds at some point, I would love to share with you if you would like.

Hi Joey , like you when my grandmother passed away I brought back her amaryllis as she said, she was very proud of it , I am happy grwing it now , a kind of apple blossom.

It will be very interesting waiting till you papilio flourish , you havee great chances it will be a different clone !

Wishing you good luck in your quest.

Another vote for first one being h. Johnsonii

about the papilio, wiki says it was first collected in the 60s so possible that it is papilio. But I am intrigued about implication of being a different clone. What does it mean? Anybody know?

In a world with no internet. I wonder how people learned about special finds,

Some southern varieties have mosaic,but do not show symptoms.The papilio your relative had probably came from Park Seed Company and is not the clone of most European importers. The Eu selection is an excellent clone,which grows a little stronger and larger than the Park Seed clone.A few other botantists and breeders went to Brazil and collected clones of Papilio.I know of four.. Each seedling is a new clone.

I should have mentioned that True papilio almost always will not self pollinate and will require pollen fro a different clone.Hybrids of papilio frequently self pollinate.

Thanks for explanation npublici. It's been several years and I've since given up but never could grow papilio in my garden.

Oh bummer :-((((( Have you ever tried growing them as an epiphyte? I think your climate would be pretty good for that. I have yet to figure out how to insert a link to a previous post, but if you search the archives for Epiphytic papilio by houstonpat, I'm 100% sure it would work for you :-))))

Fred, first you have to find your post then right click and copy the link from the upper left hand corner and just paste (right click again) the link in your text If I can do you certainly can..☺☺

Thanks Donna :-))) You're my guinea pig :-))))

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1722956/epiphytic-papilio?n=9 

Thank you! I will study it carefulky

I have found that most of the people killing Papilio over watered them in their summer dormancy,or let them freeze,however they will not go into dormancy when they are being cooled by several mistings a day.They like being under the edge of a tree,getting morning sun.They will grow vigorously as an epiphyte IF they are misted with water often enough.Papilio does not like a heavy soil mix or lots of clay.

Gee Fred, I wonder why it didn't work, it always works when I paste a link from EBay....??

Cuz the light bulb is at half power :-))))

Hi again Owsley,

Sorry I couldn't help with your quest for a Mocca. Your photo is really lovely!

There are many cybisters available so you shouldn't have any trouble feeding your passion for cybisters!

Try Chico which is usually readily available along with Lima and Tango/LaPaz and also Bogota. There are many.

Peruse through this forum and you see many lovely varieties that you should love!

You might like Ruby Star, one of many lovely Israeli varieties usually available from EasytoGrowBulbs.

We have several bulb fairies on this forum some from Texas even!! Good luck with your new hobby and you've come to the right place.

Donna

Owsley,I can't Trade bulbs with anyone.,but there are several on this forum who do.Over the past six years I have thrown away many hundreds of bulbs infected with mosaic.I The only known clean bulbs I have are some species Hippeastrum, grown inside,in isolation I will be selling soon.

Many times,when members realize that a new person is too lazy to search for answers on postings already made,they will be less likely to answer.

Thank you both for keeping me hopeful. Is there thread here about mosaic virus ? I need to investigate and make sure that I don't have any infected bulbs.

On photobucket I have a folder under "mosasic". I am "npublici" there,and most other places.There are many posts on mosaic,many of which can be found with google. This forum and several others, which this forum will censor, have postings on mosaic.There are numerous pictures on my photobucket.

There are many threads on this forum on the dreaded mosaic virus. Just type it in the search box on the top of the page and you should learn a lot. There is also information on the internet, just Google it.

Donna

Thank you. It is so nice to know there are people that I can count on for my problems or my success. After examining all my flowering bulbs I noticed red blotches on the leaves of one or two. Is this due to fungus and treatable ?

In my experience, Red Blotch is often present where bulbs have excessive watering.The organisms which take advantage of that climate seem to be contagious. Most Hippeastrum have natural reddening at a site where they have been wounded. That is due to them exuding a curative compound they make themselves.It looks similar.Some hippeastrum naturally have leaves and scapes which are quite red toward the base,espcially the ribs. There is more than one remedy for red blotch people on this forum use,which they say works. Quite frequently red dots indicate insect bites.The insect needs to be identified.Mites must be killed by mitecides.Insect poisons do not work.

Thank you npublic. I will look up for the remedies on this forum. You are being so helpful.

Owsley, your Rose Cybister is much prettier than mine. The first scape on mine seems to be producing upward facing blooms that don't open fully. Hopefully the second scape looks more like yours... she may need some better roots to come into her full glory.

May be because they are growing outside in my garden. I planted a lot of bulbs in my garden all of them sent up shoots and flowered beautifully. This is an old bulb that I have lost the label. Could any of you help me with identifying ?

This may cause a lot of envy for those who cannot grow them outside. This is how this 'Nymph' has taken over and this time I counted 60 blooms. Hope I have bragging rights to this beauty :-))

How beautiful!!!! You have every right to brag about them. We Northeners would sell a family member to get a display like this :-))))

Owsley, your photos are beautiful! I love that hippeastrum! I don't know cultivars well so I will not suggest any with much confidence. It looks similar to the Rembrandt Van Rijn I feel in love with. Whatever it turns out to be, it is lovely. If you find your garden to be populated with that particular plant, I could surely find a home for it.....my home. :)

But not a pet.. huh Fred ...Stunning display of one of my favorite flowers!! Yes, you are envied by me too!!

As for you other flower, Rembrandt van Rijn comes to mind. I'd post one of my pictures but Maria and Blanca both have pictures that look to me exactly like yours. See if you can search Rembrandt from the search box to see if you can locate their flowers. Rembrandt van Rijn is an older flower that was missing from cultivation for many years and Royal Colors brought it back for just one year and many of us that needed one were finally able to have one. It wasn't offered again. This is just my guess of course...☺☺

Donna

I just found Maria's thread, see what you think....

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2808662/throwback-thursday-for-kristi?n=3

and here is the other thread with Blanca's flower.....☺☺

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3581101/2015-rembrandt-van-rijn?n=15

Never a pet...I love them too much :-))))))

Yup. That is what it is. Big thanks to Fred and dondelux. I had bought some from RC a while ago and this is where it came from. Incidentally recently I bought a few bulbs from them on March 5 and 10 days later they were all on sale. I asked them if I could cancel the order and place a new order at sale prices since the bulbs were not shipped. Paul said they could not cancel it as they were being shipped. I have not received them yet. I would have ordered a lot more bulbs if he had allowed me to cancel. Or he could have adjusted the invoice. We Americans are so generous in that regard. Any US retailer would have done that. I am really enjoying my time here with all of you die hard hippies.

When bulbs are "shipped"via the ocean it is difficult to recall a package.

npublici - Have you found that papilio grows or flowers better if it goes through dormancy? None of mine flowered this year and I've been trying to figure out why.

Concerning the mosaic virus - it is endemic here in Florida, but the leaves don't show the diagnostic mosaic pattern until it gets very hot in the summer. I'm hoping I don't see it this year.

Owsley, your pictures and flowers are outstanding! Please keep posting them! Do you have Nymph in the ground? Very, very impressive! - J

Everado,mine never went noticably dormant last year and they have never lost their leaves except when frozen,yet the ones getting morning sun are blooming . The ones in afternoon sun are not blooming,even though some of those bulbs are very large.Every time I think I know Papilio, I learn something new.

I have never seen Mosaic on Papilio. I see mosaic more in the heat of summer on other varieties.Not all hybrids of papilio inherit its resistance to mosaic.Morelanium also seems resistant to mosaic.

Yes jstropic. I had bought one bulb a long time and literally let it be. I have never given any care and it has just multiplied like crazy and bears these gigantic flowers. A sight to behold for sure. Here is one on request :-) The Cybister sisters that bloomed this week. They are so photogenic.

Hi Owsley,

It looks like the lovely photo on the left shows 'Emerald' instead of 'Evergreen.'

You are so right. It is indeed Emerald. Thank you for correcting.

Beautiful photos Owsley!

I am definetly going to try Nymph in the ground after seeing how well she grew for you. - J

Hello again Owsley,

As I was admiring your cybister photos and trying to read your name, I noticed that both scapes have a mottled appearance. Is this a technical artifact of your photographic process, or is something else going on?

Their scapes are generally "mottled", "glaucous" the leaves are too, and the most conspicuously glaucous leaves I remember are from some Dutch cultivars with a purely WHITE bloom - their leaves looking almost turquoise - and I never thought about the cause for this effect, but it is fair to assume that the scape /the leaves are covered by a thin layer of exuded wax or whatever (lipid) substance, and after you touch the scape it will look as demonstrated in the pictures above.

Thank you, Hans-Werner.

I always clean the scapes before taking photos.

Would love to see your pictures after cleaning the scapes.

ROTFL! All you need to do is look. Over the years, I have posted many photos taken with my antiquated little Canon Elph… hopefully, all with
clean scapes. This is just my opinion, but I don’t find fingerprints
and smudges attractive. To prevent disease and discover lurking pests before they cause damage, I also routinely clean my bulbs and peal off the outer dead layers. I honestly wondered if your bulbs might have had an infection or
disease, which could have spread to your entire collection. I’m glad that what I saw was simply a cosmetic issue.

Interesting how a plant aficionado looks at things. As a photographer we tend to leave things alone as no photographer will point fingers at what you call smudges and finger prints. Because no one will be looking at the scape with a magnifying lens.