Are Hippeastrums Perennials or Annuals?

About Amaryllis

• Carolus Linnaeus, the father of modern plant classification, gave the name "Amaryllis" to flowering bulbs discovered in both Africa and South America. Later, botanists discovered the African plants weren't closely related to the South American bulbs. The New World plants were renamed Hippeastrum. However, the common name of amaryllis continues to be used for them. The mature plants with large perennial bulbs are readily transported when the bulbs are dormant, so they endured long sea voyages to go from their native homes to Europe. Hybridization started in the mid-1700s. Numerous species interbred to produce the large-flowered showy hybrids in many color combinations.

The Perennial Bulb

• Amaryllis bulbs can live a long time. Marc Hachadourian, a curator at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden interviewed in a May 2008 "New York Times" article, cited bulbs planted in Southern and Caribbean gardens that are known to be over 100 years old. Amaryllis produce smaller bulblets, which you can separate from the mother bulb. Amaryllis grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. They can be grown anywhere as a container plant brought indoors for winter protection. The bulbs go dormant in winter.

Seed Production

• Perennial plants need to produce seeds to successfully perpetuate the species. Amaryllis are easy to pollinate and hybridize. After the dormant period is over, the bulb sends up one to several flower stalks depending on the size of the bulb. If you have two separate clones of amaryllis, pollinate the flowers by picking a stamen with its pollen-bearing anther from one plant and using it as a paintbrush to transfer the pollen to the central stigma of another plant. If the cross takes, a green, rounded seedpod begins to form after the flower fades. The pod turns light brown as it dries and splits open to reveal papery winged black seeds. Plant the seeds while they are fresh and grow your own hybrid seedlings.

Leaves

• Leaf production completes the perennial yearly cycle. The leaves form after flowering on indoor plants with forced dormancy. On bulbs grown in landscaping, green strap-shaped leaves often appear before the flower stalk. The leaves continue to grow after the flowers die, and you can remove the stalk after blooming unless seedpods are forming. Allow the leaves to remain on the outdoor plants until they die back naturally so the bulb continues to gain strength and size with each passing year. On plants brought indoors, force dormancy in the fall by giving the plant only enough water to stay alive and keeping it in a cool, dry place for eight to 10 weeks. Remove the dead leaves before the flower stalk emerges.