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A really stunning, red flowered Hippeastrum relative from Argentina. It does well here in a cold greenhouse, flowering reliably in September. It is said to respond to the first
rains of autum by flowering suddenly but plants here seem to flower at about the same time every year whether they are wet or dry. The AGS online encyclopaedia says: "Rhodophiala bifida grows in north-east and central Argentina and Uruguay in areas that receive some summer rainfall, it is therefore important that the resting bulbs do not become too dry as this is detrimental to the persistant root system. It is certainly cold-hardy under glass (several years at sub-zero temperatures with no loses) and has been grown outside in a number of gardens in the UK with sucess." Technically, the genus Rhodophiala has now been absorbed into Zephyranthes so this should probably be called Zephyranthes bifida. I am going to wait for a year or two before I make the change, just to be sure that it is one of those changes that "sticks". San Marcos Growers say: "Rhodophiala bifida (Oxblood Lily) - This vigorous and adaptable bulb that can form large clumps with narrow 8- to 10-inch-long grass-like green leaves that emerge in fall and grow through mid-spring and then dry up with the plant going dormant in summer. The brilliant red 2-inch-wide trumpet shaped flowers rise up on a 15 inch tall stalk before leaves emerge in late summer. Each flower lasts but 2 to 3 days, but a clump can produce flowers over a month long period. Plant in a most any soil that has pretty decent drainage in full sun or in shade where the flowers seem to last a bit longer. Occasional irrigation in spring even when plants are still dormant is recommended to keep roots alive and promote flowering and it responds rapidly to irrigation provided in later summer and early fall. Hardy to below 0° F with a winter mulch and useful in USDA Zones 7 to 10. These bulbs make a beautiful and colorful punch of red in the garden. Rhodophiala bifida comes from Uruguay and Argentina and reportedly were brought to Texas by German immigrants from Argentina in the 1850's. The name for the genus is from the Greek word 'rhodo' meaning "red" and the Latin word 'phiala' which is a "flat-bottom drinking vessel" or "saucer" in reference to the bowl shape of the flower. The specific epithet means deeply two-cleft. Rhodophiala is often compared to and closely related to the florist amaryllis (Hippeastrum), but with their narrow parallel sided leaves are actually more like a large flowering Habranthus or Zephyranthes. We originally grew this plant in 2001-2003 and put it back into production in 2020." |
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| 2nd September 2017 | ||
