Odd Rain Lily Breeding

Over the last few years, we’ve made quite a few intergeneric hybrids within the Amaryllid family…one known for rather odd mating habits. Our crosses involved 2,3, and occasionally four genera together.  Today, one of our bi-generic (2 genera) crosses flowered for the first time, confirming its hybrid origin.  In this case the parents were Habranthus robustus x Zephyranthes ‘Labuffarosea’, so it’s our first xZephybranthus. The foliage tends more toward the habranthus parent, while the orientation of the flower and the petals go more toward the zephyranthes parent.  This is somewhat akin to crossing a human with a chimpanzee. 

6 thoughts on “Odd Rain Lily Breeding”

  1. Hi I made some crosses:
    1(Habranthus robustusxtubispatus)xzephyranthes pulchela 10plants leaves looks like z.pulchela but more grey wailing for flowers this summer.
    2 The habranthus robustusxtubispatus looks like a bigger tubispatus and was polinated by zephyranthes pulchela only 3 seeds but1 survivor grows slowly leaves like h.tubispatus it doesnt like sun so in summer I keep it in shadow, it will not flower so soon perhaps in next autumn.
    3 zephyranthes ‘rose perfection’xhabranthus robustus 2 plants growing well almost sure they’ll flower next summer.
    Habranthus tubispatusxrobustus only 3 plants growing well.

  2. Did you ear about a sprekelia habranthus hybrid?
    Habranthus leaves and sprekelia flowers in the same plant and more free flowering than sprekelia…
    I suspect that sprekelia’oriental red’ could be this hybrid because is supposed to flower more times.

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