Hippeastrum Samba - Amaryllis

Amaryllis or Hippeastrum Samba is a bulbous plant intended for indoor cultivation that offers magnificent semi-double flowers with petals of a beautiful deep red, striated and marginated with bright white: remarkable!

Belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family and originating from the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, Hippeastrum is not at all hardy, its cultivation outdoors is not possible in our climate. Enjoy it when it is planted in the warmth of the home (or in a heated conservatory), while the garden is still asleep.

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

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 planted: always in a well-lit place, you should keep the pot in a well-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: Amaryllis belladonna. When Carl von Linnaeus used this name to refer to it but also to refer to Hippeastrum (are you still following?), there was an outcry and the battle raged until 1987 when botanists decided: the Latin name Amaryllis is reserved for the African species Belladonna but should no longer be used as the Latin name for Hippeastrum.