Hippeastrum Wild Amazone

Amaryllis 'Wild Amazone' is a new variety of hippeastrum with incredibly exotic charm, with its flowers with narrow petals that boldly mix orange and green around a brown throat. This tall and floriferous variety, whose bulb produces up to 3 flower stalks, will bring the enchanting charm of the wild Amazon into the house, even in the middle of winter. Its flowers will be perfect in winter bouquets, combined with fir green foliage or white flowers.

From the Amaryllidaceae family, Hippeastrum are native to South and Central America. They are grown in pots in our climate and bloom indoors during Christmas. When in full bloom, the 'Wild Amazone' variety forms a clump of 70 cm (28in) in height and 30 cm (12in) in width. The star-shaped flowers measure up to 15 cm (6in) in diameter. This flowering consists of 6 narrow and pointed petals, with a thick texture, coloured orange on a green background that is much more visible on the lower part of each flower. The flower's throat is brown, surrounded by a brick halo. It releases a bouquet of long, curved stamens in green-yellow colour. 4 to 5 flowers tower over one to three hollow, but thick, stalks. Positioned back-to-back, they together form a unique composition. The leaves are ribbon-like and glossy dark green. They turn yellow and then dry out a few weeks after flowering, while the bulb goes into dormancy.

Planting an Amaryllis is very rewarding. Hippeastrum Wild Amazone is very easy to grow and its growth is extremely rapid; 6 to 8 weeks after planting, the flowers bloom already. You can enjoy them throughout the winter. To offer it for Christmas, remember to plant it at the beginning of November. Preferably expose it to the sun, for example in a window. Trim the stem when the flowers fade to promote floral regrowth.

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