Moraea MM 16-48

Seed parent: Moraea polystachya

Pollen parent: Moraea thomasiae

I thought I was careful not to self-pollinate the seed parent, but these seedlings do not look like M. thomasiae at all. So probably they are not a hybrid,

MM 16-48a

MM 16-48b

Hybrids between Amaryllis and Brunsvigia marginata

One of my favorite bulbs is Brunsvigia marginata, an Autumn-blooming South African plant that produces big globular flower heads with large scarlet-red flowers. It's incredibly eye-catching, but unfortunately it's also a bit fussy in my California garden. I don't know if the problem is my heavy clay soil, or the climate, or something else, but it's hard to get it to bloom reliably.

Enter Amaryllis 'Multiflora,' which is widely known in California as "naked ladies" because it has attention-getting flowers that bloom before the leaves grow. These plants are extremely reliable in California, and along the coast they're virtually bulletproof.

I wanted to mix the color of B. marginata with the vigor of Amaryllis, so I crossed them. The result has been a series of flowers with a look that's midway between the two parents, some deep pink and the others in shades of red. They are much more reliable than marginata. Unfortunately, these plants also appear to be totally sterile, so I don't know if I can take this cross any further. I'll keep trying.

Here's a family portrait of several of them (the white flowers in the background are Amaryllis 'Multiflora'):

Click on the links below to see details on each cross.

MM 09-08

MM 09-09

MM 09-11

MM 10-60

MM 10-69

MM 11-175

xAmarygia MM 09-08

Seed parent: MLH 09 (Amaryllis 'Multiflora' hybrid)

Pollen parent: Brunsvigia marginata

The seed parent is a pink Amaryllis hybrid with a very high bud count and globular head. The flowers of this hybrid are a bright cherry red color, just a bit off from what I think of as true red. The plant makes a nice well-rounded flower head, but the individual flowers are a little narrower than some similar hybrids. Nevertheless it's an attractive plant.

xAmarygia MM 09-11

Seed parent: MLH 13 (Amaryllis 'Multiflora' hybrid)

Pollen parent: Brunsvigia marginata

The seed parent is a pink flower from Amaryllis breeder Les Hannibal. The flowers of this cross are bright red and very eye-catching.

xAmarygia MM 09-09

Seed parent: MLH 07 (Amaryllis 'Multiflora" hybrid)

Pollen parent: Brunsvigia marginata

The seed parent is a pale pink Amaryllis hybrid from Les Hannibal. The flowers from their offspring are deep fluorescent pink.

xAmarygia MM 11-175

Seed parent: Brunsvigia marginata

Pollen parent: MM 99-16

The pollen parent is a very nice cerise-pink Amaryllis 'Multiflora' hybrid. Cross that with a scarlet red species and you get this lovely cherry red flower, which unfortunately appears to be sterile.

xAmarygia MM 10-69

Seed parent: MLH 09 (Amaryllis 'Multiflora' hybrid)

Pollen parent: Brunsvigia marginata

The seed parent is a pale pink Amaryllis multiflora hybrid from Les Hannibal, while the pollen parent is a glorious red-flowered species.

Their offspring is a beautiful bright cherry pink flower, unfortunately quite sterile so far.

Moraea MM 19-118

Seed parent: MM 17-19a (M. lurida x (aristata x villosa)) X (tripetala x villosa form d)

Pollen parent: MM 15-136a (unknown parents)

MM 19-118a

Moraea MM 20-300

Seed parent: MM 17-10a (M. tripetala x calcicola) X ('Zoe' x atropunctata)

Pollen parent: M. calcicola

I think I was hoping to get more of an eye paired with the heavy dots of 17-10a. That didn't work, which is probably more evidence that spots on flowers are usually a recessive characteristic in Moraeas.

MM 20-300a