Description
(Amaryllis elwesii, Hippeastrum elwesii, Rhodophiala bagnoldii, Rhodophiala elwesii, Rhodophiala mendocina)
You may come across this species under other several names. I believe that Rhodophiala gilliesiana is the currently accepted one. In cultivation (and seemingly in some botanical circles) has long been know as elwesii, though it appears now that this was a later name applied, in over-enthusiasm, to a species which was already described hence the apparent name change to the earlier name of gillesiana.
This hails from the Andean foothills of both Argentina and Chile. It is a relatively easy species to grow and it tolerates water well when dormant over the summer. Indeed if kept slightly damp, it remains almost evergreen, keeping its old leaves until after the new ones emerge. It makes stout stems holding umbels of 3-4, up-facing, funnel-shaped flowers of pale, bright yellow. These can sometimes have a thin red edge to the petals and/or a red-tinged throat, but this is not invariable. Once established, several flower stems may be made, per small bulb each season, usually in small flushes in Autumn or Spring, as this grows on a sort of modified-Mediterranean cycle. Well-drained soil, low in humus with less water in winter.
After flowering the leaves develop rapidly to a mature size of 20 cm by just less than 1 cm wide. During leaf development the plant can tolerate considerable water if drainage is good. This is also the time to feed!
This likes sun and a well-drained, sandy compost not too rich in organic matter. It is, at the very least, frost-resistant and is said to tolerate -15°C. Certainly in the wild it can be covered in snow for several months. It is easy to cultivate in an unheated bulb frame, though it likes to be on the dry side after leaf dormancy and in winter. Although it is considered rare it is said to be found in large quantities in the few places where it grows.
First offered in our lists in 1999 but we lost that stock and the current plants are a different stock, re-listed in November 2020 and raised from seed ex Chile: below Volcan Lanin, volcanic scree, 1000 m alt. This was identified as such by Regis Bastian, Brazilian botanist.
