Hippeastrum Sumatra

Amaryllis Sumatra is part of a group of Hippeastrum called Cybister, which are characterised by spider-like flowers of almost unreal beauty. This variety is both spectacular, graceful, and remarkably colourful. Its large flowers have delicate and variegated petals in flamboyant colours. The bulb produces 2 to 3 flowering stems, each stem bearing 4 to 5 flowers, allowing you to enjoy this splendor for several weeks between December and March. Perfect in a beautiful pot, this amaryllis also provides excellent flowers for winter bouquets.

Originally from the subtropical regions of Central and South America, Hippeastrum are frost-tender plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, usually grown in pots in our climate. When in full bloom, the Sumatra variety forms a clump 60-65 cm (24-26in) tall and 30 cm (12in) wide. The flower consists of narrow and tapered petals, slightly twisted at the edges. Their colour, from the base to the tip, is a gradient of red-orange, pink, salmon, light green, and white. The centre of the flower is dark red in colour and releases a cluster of very long salmon and light green curved stamens. Four to five flowers, 15 cm (6in) in diameter, crown a thick hollow stem, which will soon be followed by another, and often by a third. Positioned back-to-back, they form a unique composition together. The leaves are ribbon-like and medium green in colour. They turn yellow and dry out some time after flowering, while the large bulb goes dormant.

Planting an Amaryllis is a very rewarding experience. Hippeastrum Sumatra is very easy to grow and its growth is extremely rapid; 6 to 10 weeks after planting, the flowers are already blooming. You can enjoy them throughout the winter. To give it as a Christmas gift, consider planting it at the beginning of November. This variety does not need companions to showcase its obvious beauty. You can plant a few simple snowdrop bulbs at its base, just to dress up its slightly stiff stems. Preferably place it in the sun, for example in a window. Trim the stem when the flowers fade to promote flowering again.

Amaryllis is actually a misuse of language directly related to an error made in the 18th century. It was Linnaeus himself who used it to name the American species. However, the name was already being used for another beautiful flower, this one from South Africa. Conventionally, the denomination Amaryllis is kept for both. And to distinguish them, the mention Hippeastrum is added to the first one and Belladona to the second. It must be said that both deserve this name: Amaryllis means 'sparkling' and, in classical Greek literature, the plant was the subject of a pastoral poem where the beautiful shepherdess Amaryllis dies of a love that will only be accessible to her after a terrible wound. From her blood will arise splendid bunches of red flowers.