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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #304881
Title: The Florida Series of Hybrid Amaryllis: Five New Hippeastrum Cultivars

Author
item Meerow, Alan

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2014
Publication Date: 9/15/2014
Citation: Meerow, A.W. 2014. The Florida Series of Hybrid Amaryllis: Five New Hippeastrum Cultivars. HortScience. 49:1102–1107.

Interpretive Summary: The amaryllis is a popular high value, large-flowered bulb that has been hybridized for over 200 years. The USDA breeding program, with goals of developing cultivars with heat resistance and unusual flower characteristics, has been ongoing for nearly 15 years. In this paper we announce the release and availability for license of five hybrid cultivars as the Florida series of hybrid amaryllis: Hippeastrum ‘Boca’ PPAF, 'Jax’ PPAF, 'Miami' PPAF, 'Orlando' PPAF, and ‘Tampa’ PPAF. Each cultivar is suitable for forcing as flowering plants and garden use in mild climates. The cultivars exhibit novel floral coloration patterns, resistance to disease, and are highly heat tolerant.

Technical Abstract: Hippeastrum Herbert, amaryllis, has yielded popular large-flowered hybrids over a 200 year breeding history. The USDA breeding program, with goals of developing cultivars with heat resistance and novel floral phenotypes, has been ongoing for nearly 15 years. In this paper we announce the release and availability for license of five hybrid cultivars as the Florida series of hybrid amaryllis. Hippeastrum ‘Boca’ PPAF, 'Jax’ PPAF, 'Miami' PPAF, 'Orlando' PPAF, and ‘Tampa’ PPAF are five diploid ('Jax', 2n = 22), triploid ('Boca', 2n = 33) or tetraploid ('Miami', 'Orlando', 'Tampa'; 2n = 43, 44) hybrids. Each cultivar is suitable for forcing as flowering plants, and responds successfully to the protocols summarized by Okubo (1993). The cultivars exhibit novel floral coloration patterns, resistance to red scorch [Stagonospora curtisii (Berk.) Sacc.], and show exemplary heat tolerance.