Outwardly incredibly similar amaryllis and hippeastrum in the botanical sense are species of the same genus - Amaryllis. Novice growers can mix plants. It is easiest to see the difference when there are two flowering plants nearby, in other cases, you should pay attention to the important differences between them.
Beautiful and unusual inflorescences of both hippeastrum and amaryllis are very decorative, decorate any interior, are suitable for creating lush bouquets, will delight with unusual colors and numerous inflorescences.
Hippeastrum blooming on a windowsill
These flowers should be grown on the windowsill and in the garden, they will bring unusual colors and provide magnificent decoration anywhere. Both flowers are interior, create a favorable atmosphere and decorate the house. It is still worth learning to distinguish these plants.
Belonging to the same genus makes these two plants so similar that many cannot distinguish them. It is necessary to focus on the main details and determine how amaryllis differs from hippeastrum:
- in amaryllis, the bulb shape is pear-shaped, while in hippeastrum it is round, less often slightly elongated;
- amaryllis has practically no aroma, hippeastrum has a pronounced floral smell;
- no more than 6 buds bloom in the inflorescence of the hippeastrum, amaryllis forms large bouquets of up to 12 buds;
- the formation of flowers in the autumn is inherent in amaryllis, in winter and spring, the hippeastrum blooms;
- the flower-bearing arrow of amaryllis is filled inside, the hippeastrum has a cavity.
Amaryllis in the garden
Thanks to such simple knowledge, you can quite easily learn to distinguish these plants and grow exactly what attracts you more at home. Amaryllis and hippeastrum, their differences are so obvious that, having visited a specialized store, it will be easy to see their differences and choose exactly the plant that is more to your taste.
The difference in the species diversity of colors
Amaryllis has only four species, called Amaryllis belladonna, Amaryllis bagnoldii, Amaryllis condemaita, Amaryllis paradisicola. At this time, the hippeastrum (hippeastrum) has about 90 species, which are often significantly different from each other.
It is worth noting! The taxonomists can also confuse these two plants, earlier the Amaryllis genus consisted of much more species, but later the majority was transferred to the Hippeastrum genus. The hybrid hippeastrum constantly has new varieties that delight gardeners with their beauty. They tolerate diseases better and are generally less susceptible to them.
Origin of plants
These flowers grow in completely different regions of the planet. The genus Hippeastrum was found in America, in the subtropical and tropical zones, most of all it is found in Peru, Brazil and Bolivia in the Amazon. This genus is considered a geophyte and grows mostly in the steppe and mountain-steppe regions. Amaryllis found in South Africa, later brought to Australia. They are mesophytes; they prefer rather moist soils.
Crossbreeding ability
Amaryllis crosses well with other species, for example, with Krinum, Nerin or Brunsvigia. Hippeastrum, in turn, is practically incapable of crossing, in 90% of cases this is impossible.
Amaryllis in the wild
Despite this, the variety variety is very large and totals almost 2000 varieties, about 200 of them are the most popular. The most common are representatives of the Leopold hybrids group.
Flowering periods
These two related plants have cardinal differences in periods of dormancy and flowering. Amaryllis always has time when it falls asleep, because the plant is a deciduous flower, hippeastrum is also evergreen, depending on the variety.
Amaryllis blooms once every 365 days, as a rule, in the autumn period, in turn, the hippeastrum will delight with lush flowers from two to four times a year, most often the flowering period occurs in winter or spring. In addition, the beginning of flowering may vary from the beginning of forcing.
Appearance, color and shape of flowers, leaves
There are also differences in the appearance of plants, while attention should be paid both to color and shape.
Hippeastrum has flowers of absolutely incredible shades: from white and yellow to green, red and pink. In addition, veins or dots of brighter colors are often present. Foliage differs depending on the species, it is smooth and stiff, the shape is belt-shaped.
Differences between amaryllis and hippeastrum
The peduncle of the hippeastrum reaches 80 cm in height, hollow inside, green in color with a brownish or gray tint. Up to 6 buds are formed, when they bloom, their aroma is hardly perceptible or even absent. The size of the buds reaches 14.5 cm, in diameter - up to 25 cm, have a funnel shape.
The bulb in the hippeastrum is round in shape, resembles an apple, may be slightly elongated. The flakes of the surface resemble onion peel of white color. In diameter, the bulbs vary from 5 to 10 cm, the roots are cord-shaped.
Amaryllis blooms in all shades of pink, leaves are narrow with grooves, flowering often occurs in their absence. Stripes and blotches on flowers are found, but they have white or pink shades, the aroma is strong pronounced.
Amaryllis flowers
Peduncle without a cavity, green with a pronounced shade of crimson. It reaches a height of 1 m, no more than 12 flowers bloom on the crown. The inflorescence is umbrella-shaped, the leaves are located at the roots in two rows. Flowers in diameter reach 8 cm, consist of 6 petals, whose tips are pointed.
The amaryllis bulb is pear-shaped, the entire surface is strewn with gray scales, has pubescence inside. In size reaches 12 cm in diameter.
How not to mix up when buying
The easiest way to see the differences is if you buy both plants and they bloom. In all other cases, you should pay attention to the small details inherent in the desired type.
When buying bulbs, it is better to give preference to trusted manufacturers, then the probability of confusing amaryllis and hippeastrum tends to zero. When buying bulbs without packaging in a flower shop, you should pay attention to the shape and shade of the scales.
Tip. It is worth paying attention to the foliage of plants: in amaryllis, it is narrow and smooth with small indentations, in hippeastrum it is stiff, elongated, reaching 50 cm in length. Amaryllis does not have green foliage during flowering; it appears much later than inflorescences.
In mid-summer, amaryllis is at rest, because the bulbs can be safely acquired, the hippeastrum is in bloom at this time. Closer to autumn, amaryllis wakes up and produces a peduncle, leaves appear much later, closer to winter.
Both plants are very beautiful and quite similar. If there is no goal of breeding and selling these flowers, then for home floriculture it does not matter what is acquired: hippeastrum or amaryllis. They are similar, beautiful and decorative. Amaryllis flower is very similar to the hippeastrum, this is no accident, because the second is a hybrid of the first.
In the case of acquisition, you should give more preference to the shade of flowers and caring for the plant. So, during the dormant period, watering should be reduced, the bulb should be removed in a cool place, and upon awakening, create the most comfortable conditions for longer flowering.
