The Origin of Hippeastrum
Breeding breakthroughs, garden openings, industry events and the people behind China’s leading Hippeastrum breeder.
The Origin of Hippeastrum
From the breeding house to the flower show floor — what we have been growing, building and sharing.
——China Agricultural History Heritage Research Center, South China Agricultural University
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum )Also known as Gu Ting Hua, Hua Zhou Lan, Bai Zhi Lian, Zhu Ding Lan, and Dui Jiao Lian, it is called "Rouge Cave" by people in Tianjin, implying its color is as beautiful as rouge. Amaryllis is mainly distributed in Central and South America. It has two distribution centers: eastern Brazil and the Andean mountains and southern hills of Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, with the distribution of some native species extending to Mexico and the West Indies. There are 50-60 native species worldwide. The Amaryllis widely cultivated around the world today are mostly hybrid varieties bred by horticulturalists from various countries.
The breeding of Amaryllis can be traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with a history of about 200 years. Amaryllis was introduced to Europe in 1769. In the late 18th century, horticulturalists in the UK, the Netherlands, and the US began to study the improvement of Amaryllis varieties, performing artificial pollination and hybridization, selecting the best ones, and breeding a batch of new horticultural varieties. In 1799, British watchmaker Jonson hybridized the Queen of the Night with Amaryllis(H.reginae X H.vittata), breeding new varieties with excellent shapes. In 1920, a pure white new variety with large, round petals was bred in the United States, causing a sensation and prompting more countries and their flower industries to devote energy to breeding. Since then, new varieties have emerged one after another, with the achievements of countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan receiving widespread acclaim. With its excellent flowers and foliage, its comprehensive evaluation and ornamental value make it the crown jewel of bulbous flowers.
Amaryllis Breeding
The breeding of Amaryllis dates back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with a history of over two hundred years. The earliest recorded Amaryllis hybrid isHippeastrumJohnsonii, which appeared in Britain in 1799, and was derived fromHippeastrum vittatumandHippeastrum reginaeThey are a hybrid of the two.
Until the 1870s, British explorers later discoveredHippeastrum leopoii, Hippeastarum pardinumtwo new species characterized by large, open, and symmetrical flowers. These two species, when crossed with the Geginae group varieties bred by Jan de Graaf of the Netherlands, produced offspring with large, flat petals and various colored varieties with spreading petals. This had a profound impact on Amaryllis breeding and established the standards for commercial production.
In the early 20th century, the Netherlands gradually became a center for Amaryllis breeding and production, developing many famous varieties; South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere also gradually became a center for Amaryllis breeding and export. In the late 20th century, professional and amateur breeders resumed breeding and cultivation, with countries such as the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, the Netherlands, and South Africa achieving good results, including double-flowered or small-flowered varieties. Currently, the world's major bulb-producing countries include the Netherlands, South Africa, South America, and Israel.
Shengyin Company has established the most resource-rich Amaryllis gene bank in the country and is one of the earliest domestic units to carry out Amaryllis variety collection and research. Since the beginning of this century, it has collected over 300 native species and varieties of Amaryllis from countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Israel; currently, it has created over 6,000 new germplasms, with nearly a million plants of its self-bred varieties already in mass production. In 2017 and 2018, five new varieties obtained Guangdong Province new variety certificates, among which Shengyin No. 1 and Shengyin No. 2 Amaryllis respectively won the Gold and Silver Awards for exhibits at the 9th China Flower Expo. In March 2019, it won the first, second, and third prizes for new and superior flowers at the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area · 2019 Shenzhen Flower Show". In April 2019, at the 21st China International Flower and Horticulture Exhibition (Shanghai), it reached an on-site cooperation with a famous Dutch enterprise, allowing Shengyin Amaryllis to go abroad and represent China on the world stage. In May 2019, Shengyin Amaryllis shone brilliantly at the "Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition", with its fresh-cut flower exhibits winning the Grand Prize, Silver Prize, and Bronze Prize in the "2019 International Horticultural Exhibition Guangdong Indoor Exhibit Evaluation".
The breeding of Amaryllis can be traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with a history of about 200 years. Amaryllis was introduced to Europe in 1769. In the late 18th century, horticulturalists in the UK, the Netherlands, and the US began to study the improvement of Amaryllis varieties, performing artificial pollination and hybridization, selecting the best ones, and breeding a batch of new horticultural varieties. In 1799, British watchmaker Jonson hybridized the Queen of the Night with Amaryllis(H.reginae X H.vittata), breeding new varieties with excellent shapes. In 1920, a pure white new variety with large, round petals was bred in the United States, causing a sensation and prompting more countries and their flower industries to devote energy to breeding. Since then, new varieties have emerged one after another, with the achievements of countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan receiving widespread acclaim. With its excellent flowers and foliage, its comprehensive evaluation and ornamental value make it the crown jewel of bulbous flowers.
Amaryllis Breeding
The breeding of Amaryllis dates back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with a history of over two hundred years. The earliest recorded Amaryllis hybrid isHippeastrumJohnsonii, which appeared in Britain in 1799, and was derived fromHippeastrum vittatumandHippeastrum reginaeThey are a hybrid of the two.
Until the 1870s, British explorers later discoveredHippeastrum leopoii, Hippeastarum pardinumtwo new species characterized by large, open, and symmetrical flowers. These two species, when crossed with the Geginae group varieties bred by Jan de Graaf of the Netherlands, produced offspring with large, flat petals and various colored varieties with spreading petals. This had a profound impact on Amaryllis breeding and established the standards for commercial production.
In the early 20th century, the Netherlands gradually became a center for Amaryllis breeding and production, developing many famous varieties; South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere also gradually became a center for Amaryllis breeding and export. In the late 20th century, professional and amateur breeders resumed breeding and cultivation, with countries such as the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, the Netherlands, and South Africa achieving good results, including double-flowered or small-flowered varieties. Currently, the world's major bulb-producing countries include the Netherlands, South Africa, South America, and Israel.
Shengyin Company has established the most resource-rich Amaryllis gene bank in the country and is one of the earliest domestic units to carry out Amaryllis variety collection and research. Since the beginning of this century, it has collected over 300 native species and varieties of Amaryllis from countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Israel; currently, it has created over 6,000 new germplasms, with nearly a million plants of its self-bred varieties already in mass production. In 2017 and 2018, five new varieties obtained Guangdong Province new variety certificates, among which Shengyin No. 1 and Shengyin No. 2 Amaryllis respectively won the Gold and Silver Awards for exhibits at the 9th China Flower Expo. In March 2019, it won the first, second, and third prizes for new and superior flowers at the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area · 2019 Shenzhen Flower Show". In April 2019, at the 21st China International Flower and Horticulture Exhibition (Shanghai), it reached an on-site cooperation with a famous Dutch enterprise, allowing Shengyin Amaryllis to go abroad and represent China on the world stage. In May 2019, Shengyin Amaryllis shone brilliantly at the "Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition", with its fresh-cut flower exhibits winning the Grand Prize, Silver Prize, and Bronze Prize in the "2019 International Horticultural Exhibition Guangdong Indoor Exhibit Evaluation".