Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants

Hippeastrum splendido-vittatum

A Hippeastrum x splendens Herb. x Hippeastrum vittatum (L’Hér.) Herb. hybrid.  No description of Macarthur’s plant is extant.

Hippeastrum striatum (Lam.) H.E.Moore

A variable species with many recognised varieties.  Stout stems bear an umbel of up to 4, funnel-shaped, orange to coral-red flowers, each segment bearing a central green stripe, in spring and summer.  The leaves emerge with the flowers.  [RHSE, Hortus].  

Hippeastrum verticilata unidentified

Hippeastrum verticilata is not listed by Herbert or Baker and I have found no reference to this plant.  

Hippeastrum vittatum (L’Hér.) Herb.

A spring flowering bulbous perennial with 3-6 funnel-shaped, red-striped flowers, the strap-shaped leaves emerging after the flowers.  To 90cm.  [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].  

Hippeastrum vittatum (L’Hér.) Herb. var. superbum

Hippeastrum vittatum (L’Hér.) Herb., which see, is a variable species, the flowers whitish, striped with red and with a white keel, 6-8 leaves, to 60cm long, appearing after the flowers.  The variety superbum has not been certainly identified but can be presumed to have superior flowers.  [RHSD, Baker Am.].  

Hippeastrum x johnsoni Hort.

A Hippeastrum reginae (L.) Herb. x Hippeastrum vittatum (L’Hér.) Herb. hybrid.  Flowers deep dull red, the keel striped white.  [RHSD, Baker Am.].  

Hippeastrum x splendens Herb.

William Herbert describes his Hippeastrum splendens as ‘Bis hybridum, Rutilo-Equestri-vittatum. - Splendid Knight's-star-lily, twice muled.’ He then provides a detailed description. ‘In consequence of a confusion of labels I have some doubts whether the female parent of these mules was produced from Vittatum by the pollen of Reginae or of Equestre. Its flower was of a very bright scarlet with a white star, and having been deprived of its anthers and impregnated by the dust of Rutilum, it produced 50 or 60 seedlings, most of which have now flowered, varying a little in shape and colour, and some of them scarcely distinguishable from Rutilum, except by a little vestige in the mouth of the tube of the beard, which is derived from the two other species. The flower which is represented was amongst the brightest of the seedlings, but no painting can approach the splendour of the natural hue. One alone of them had the coroll considerably larger. The coroll of Mule Amaryllideae seems to follow the size of the male parent, which might indeed have been expected, since the coroll bears the filaments, and therefore belongs to the male portion of the flower. The strong scent of Vittatum is entirely lost in this second cross, all the seedlings having proved scentless, like Rutilum, with which they also conform in the production of an infinity of offsets, but the offsets are not blind or dormant, like those of Rutilum. They flower freely in a cool greenhouse, appearing to be as hardy as Vittatum, and will doubtless succeed well out of doors. The leaves are narrower than those of Vittatum, and they will bloom in a much smaller pot.’ [Herbert’s Appendix p.52/1821].In his Amaryllidaceae Herbert briefly reports in great length on the early hybridisation experiments with Hippeastrum. [Herbert p.141 and elsewhere].

Hosta lancifolia Tratt.

Fully-hardy perennial forming a dense mound of arching, lance-shaped leaves and narrowly funnel-shaped deep purple flowers in summer.  To 45cm.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Hosta plantaginea Aschers.

Fully-hardy clump-forming perennial with heart-shaped leaves and trumpet-shaped, long-tubed, very fragrant white flowers in summer and autumn.  To 60cm.  [RHSE, Hortus].  

Hosta sieboldii (Pax.) J.Ingram

Fully-hardy, clump-forming perennial with heart-shaped, glaucous, somewhat puckered, leaves and 1m long flower stems with bell-shaped, pale lilac-grey flowers, fading to white, in early summer.  To 1m.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Hosta undulata (Otto & Dietr.) L.H.Bail.

Fully-hardy clump-forming perennial with twisted, deeply-channelled, lance-shaped leaves, marked with white or pale yellow, and funnel-shaped, mauve flowers in summer.  To 1m.  [RHSE, Hortus].  Regarded by some as a form of Hosta lancifolia Tratt. which see, but treated separately here.

Hosta ventricosa (Salisb.) Stearn

Fully-hardy clump-forming perennial with broadly heart-shaped leaves and tubular-bell-shaped deep-purple flowers in summer.  To 50cm.  [RHSE].

Hyacinthoides non-scripta (L.) Chouard

Fully-hardy vigorous, clump-forming, bulbous perennial with spreading, lance-shaped leaves and one-sided racemes, bent over at the top, of 6-12 pendant, narrowly bell-shaped, scented, mid-blue, occasionally pink or white, flowers.  To 40cm.  [RHSE, Hortus].

Hymenocallis caribaea (L.) Herb.

An evergreen bulbous perennial with 12 or more, semi-erect, strap-shaped basal leaves, up to 90cm long, and umbels of up to 12 fragrant white flowers, to 15cm across, in spring.  To 60cm.  [RHSE, Botanica, Baker Am.].  

Hymenocallis glauca (Herb.) Bak.

The identity of this plant remains in doubt. Baker considers Hymenocallis glauca (Zucc.) M.Roem. to be synonymous with Choretis glauca Herb., although he gives the naming authors as Knowles & Westcott [Baker Am. p.123/1888]. The Plant List, on the other hand regards them as true and separate species. They are regarded as synonymous here.

Frost-tender bulbous perennial with elliptic basal leaves, to 45cm long and 10cm broad, and flower stems, to 35cm, bearing umbels of up to 3 fragrant white flowers, to 15cm across, in spring.  [RHSD, Baker Am.].