OMG!!! That is soooooo beautiful. My jaw just dropped when I saw those pics. It looked like a miniature banana with purple flowers. Thanks for sharing Bluebonsai. Good luck on the seeds. What would they (plants and seeds)require anyway to grow?

Oh la la!
It's my dream, how beautiful it is!

Mariava and Carzon, Yeah, they are beautiful plants, but insanely expensive so I hope I can get some seeds for free :o) From what I have read they require insane drainage, i.e., 80-90% pumice or an equivalent and maybe 10-20% of something like orchid bark. I have no idea if I can grow them which is why I have no desire to spend up to $300 for a 2-3 year old bulb....they take up to 9 years to flower from what I understand from my reading. I've wanted one for awhile, but now feel that perhaps with more experience and not having to pay a months mortgage to get one I will give them a try :o) Dan

Dan I've never seen this plant before. It's really lovely. Such a unique color. Does that plant belong to your friend?
I wouldn't spend that kind of money either, so this is just curiousity but do they have a fragrance? How long do they bloom?

Hi Jackie, Wish I could answer your questions, but I have no idea about fragrance or length of bloom. I believe they are short-lived, much like a Hippeastrum.....the difference being that in this case the actual plant is spectacular whereas Hippeastrum are, how shall we say it, rather uninspired when not in bloom. The guy tells me that a lot of ladies just have these in pots on their stoops for a beautiful plant. My friend has a large GH, but is primarily into ginger, bananas, Tillandsia, etc. and considers the Amaryllids to be mostly weeds.....go figure :o) Dan

Thanks for answering Dan.
Yeah I kind of know what they mean calling them weeds lol. I have ONE amaryllis that looks good when not in bloom - Papillio. It has a lot of nice strong green leaves year round. Being in the North, I have to bring my pots in and on the sill in the winter so I'm guessing the low light is what causes the other leaves to not look their best. I'm also trying to figure out if using a different fertilizer (I just use Schultz houseplant fertilizer in the winter and Miracle Gro in the summer) will help get healthier and more abundant leaves.
I have a friend in Louisiana who has a wonderful collection of gingers. I agree that they're beautiful and I'd love to smell their fragrance too. I've only got so much room to zone push though!
Good luck with your seeds.

Back in the 70s, Parks Seed in South Carolina offered this genus in the form of seeds. Maybe, if we all send polite requests, they may attempt to offer them again. Would be nice. I ordered a packet in 1975, but in repotting the seedlings I lost all; roots were too sensitive to breakage, I suppose. Would have been nice to be a bulblet/seed source for this beauty!