Hippeastrum Rio Negro - Amaryllis

Amaryllis or Hippeastrum Rio Negro is a bulbous plant intended for indoor cultivation that offers astonishing flowers with dark red petals, finely veined with white and a base adorned with kiwi green: an exotic and refined beauty, welcome in the heart of winter.

Belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family and originating from the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, Hippeastrum is not at all hardy, and cannot be grown outdoors in our climate.  Enjoy it indoors (or in a heated conservatory), while the garden is still asleep.

Amaryllis is a plant with a large bulb whose big and elegant flowers resemble those of the lily. They are usually grouped in fours at the top of a strong main stem, which is 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20in) tall and adorned with long green leaves, in narrow strips.

Its flowering occurs from December to April, 6 to 8 weeks after planting. It depends on the temperature of the room in which the Amaryllis is placed: always in a well-lit location, you will keep the pot in a heated room to accelerate its flowering or in a cooler room, around 10°C (50°F), to slow it down.

Did you know? The Latin name “Amaryllis” was the subject of heated discussions among botanists: originally, this name actually referred to another plant, similar in appearance and native to South Africa: the Amaryllis belladonna. When Carl von Linne used this name to refer to it, as well as to the Hippeastrum (are you still following?), there was an outcry and the battle raged until 1987 when the botanists settled the matter: the Latin name Amaryllis is retained for the African species Belladonna but must no longer be used as the Latin name for Hippeastrum.