Description
The Hurricane Lily has derived its name from its habit of flowering suddenly, in late summer and early autumn with the coming of rains, water and hurricanes, in parts of the USA where it is naturalised after being introduced from its native Argentina (and Uruguay) at around the same time as several other bulbous species which still persist as semi-natives in parts of Texas (Habranthus tubispathus being another). The Texan form (now named as Hill Country Red) appears to be a self-incompatible clone, which sets no seed with its own pollen. Based on its lack of seed-set it was reputed to be triploid, though I think not and I have always doubted it to be true. It seems to be simply a gardener’s application of pseudo-science to a seemingly sterile plant. In fact it is not sterile, as has been supposed, it is self-incompatible and it will set some seed when cross-pollinated with other forms which are not of the same clone.
The stock offered here is seed-raised strain by inter-pollination of different fertile forms, it is NOT Hill Country Red and it is thus not the usual, more common, clone of commerce. Rather it is a fertile strain with no geographical provenance. It is very floriferous with freely-borne, 30-40cm tall stems crowned with two to four spectacular, deep blood-red funnels.
The species is hardy in many parts of the UK in warm, well-drained soils, and certainly in parts of the southern USA where it has persisted for hundreds of years.
We do our best on these to send what we think are flowering sized bulbs but like many Amaryllidaceae, this may refuse to flower, after disturbance, in its first year after planting. Thus a slightly smaller, non-flowering sized bulb will grow and establish and then flower in the same year as a flowering-sized one which has sulked for a year.
