Hippeastrum x acramannii
Archive entry 29.09.13
Archive entry 24.08.14
24th October 2010
A tough red Hippeastrum though I have been confused by the taxonomy.
There are three names in circulation. H. x acramannii, a hybrid raised by Garroway and Sons in 1835 between H.aulicum var platypetalum and H. psittacinum with scarlet and white flowers.
H. x acramannii 'Pulcherrima' from the same raisers in 1850, H. aulicum x H. x johnsonii. The only illustration I have found shows a red flower with a strong green mark along the tepal midvein.
H. x ackermannii which may or may not be a mis-spelling of one of the above, or something else, or not.
There seem to be two plants in circulation. First, there is this glorious scarlet with two or three flowers to the scape, produced in autumn and growing leaves through the winter. Currently distributed in the UK as
H. x acramannii. The second produces heads of red and white flowers in spring and is being distributed in the USA as H. x ackermannii. Both are cold tolerant to the point of almost cold hardiness.
In the early 1980's Van Tubergen issued a 'special' list of rare and unusual bulbs available in very small quantities (in addition to the mainstream list). They offered a pure red Hippeastrum that was very cold
tolerant and flowered in autumn. It seems to be this plant, and is probably the original source of the plants currently available. They called it H. x ackermannii.
9th September 2015