A reliable nurseryman told me BP and Benfica are the same. Have you heard that? They are the same dark, blackish red. I wonder if anybody here has data to support/dispute this comment. thanks for your help.
Black Pearl and Benfica are the same?
It appears that they are being sold as the same by http://www.kvbwholesale.com/store/amaryllisother/hybriddutch/15441
BUT this forum says 'Roma' = 'Black Pearl' and that 'Ben'fica' is darker and was created and being sold by Peter Penning
e-mail : info@penningfreesia.nl
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0317264820911.html
patti thanks for the GW link. The discussion confused me even more, with the intro. of Roma into the discussion. I think this is why I am not as hot for amaryllises this year. With a few exceptions, the so called new ones look very much like older ones I already have, and some sellers are out there reinventing the wheel. Better to spend my money on roses and/or groceries, lol.
I've tried not to get too hung up on labels, but I was just curious. I would if I were hybridizing but I'm not.
This discussion reminds me of the two forums that I started last winter, when I was trying to decide if Sydney/ United Nations were the same, and Santos/ ABC's Naughty Lady were the same. Another cultivar that is sold under 2 names is Bianca/ Green Goddess. It is interesting that kvbwholesale considers Black Pearl/ Benfica to be the same. I have a second ( perhaps crazy) explanation: they send you a 'very dark red' cultivar, whatever they have in stock at the time, and label it BP/B to save customer complaints. Easier to tell you, they are the same, rather than tell you that they substituted the one you already have, for the one that you have been trying to get for 3 years. FYI so far the health of the bulbs that I have received have been good. Much better than the last 2 years. Hope that I didn't just jink myself since I am still waiting for 3 orders.
This message was edited Nov 5, 2008 7:05 PM
bsharf, you are most likely correct. Grab a bulb and ship it if it is sort of red. I am thinking that the really dark 'Benifica' may have a copyright (more money) so some nurseries are just calling it 'Black Pearl' as it is a better sounding name and many that are being sold are really 'Roma' which is more red. Then there is something called 'Red Pearl'. OH MY we need some expert to pop in and make some sense out of this all.
Here is another nice site, but, alas no 'Benifica' or 'Black Pearl' in their photo gallery. Patti http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/AmaryllisBloom.html
bsharf, your explanation makes a lot of sense and unfortunately makes me more cynical about plant marketing business. I will not call myself a collector, I will just call myself an ordinary gardener who grows amaryllis Benfica aka Black Pearl, aka lalala, aka yaddayaddayadda.
good day, everyone.
patti thanks for the link. the gallery is awesome. I think that if I find Amputo locally, I will get it.
Vossner, I have 'Amputo', I was not so crazy about it the first day it opened, then Boojum posted that I needed to smell it. I fell in love and the form grew on me. It is elegant. This will be its third season with me. Patti
There's no Black Pearl on plantscope.nl, and if it's in the Dutch trade then it should be there so my guess is it's one that has been given another name but is probably Benfica.
The description of Red Pearl:
Flower diameter 15 cm - 20 cm
Flower color Red-Dark red-RHS 060 A
Desc. of Benfica:
Flower diameter 15 cm - 20 cm
Flower color Red-Mid-red-RHS 046 B
Leaf, secondary color(s) Red-Dark red-RHS 187 B
Flower color distribution Feathered
There is Roma with two different growers with the same description:
Leaf tip Pointed/acute
Leaf margin Entire
Leaf colour, pattern Bicolored
Inflorescence Few-flowered
Flower color distribution Multi-colored
You will need to type 'amaryllis' in the search by name box which will give a link to over 300 named varieties.
http://www.plantscope.nl/pls/pscprdpub/psc_htm_utils.psc_startframeset?pnTalId=1
well, I'll be...
here is a pic of Red Pearl taken from link that wallaby provided. Looks exactly like my black pearl! lol so, this is only getting fuzzier.
edited to say:
I tried to post a pic of the RP, but it shows the exact link posted above. yes, do enter amaryllis, then click on RP.
This message was edited Nov 6, 2008 12:16 PM
I had so many erroneously marked bulbs arrive over the past few years, that I've opted out for the most part. There are still good bulb companies out there, namely Royal Colors and Van Engelen, but the rest are a gamble.
I'm sticking to what I have and am actively cross-pollinating for new varieties that I will number and offer to my customers. It may take some time, but at least I will have exclusive control over the situation.
Cool throat on that one Gordo; you gotta love that little red necklace.
I bought a few BP a few weeks ago and on each bulb is a small tag with a picture of very deep almost black flowers. What are the chances of this actually being what they claim?
who from?
I bought them at a nursery here. The picture on the tag is very dark flowers and it says Huge Majestic Flowers in English and French.Simple Pleasures, product of Holland.
if you have been happy with this nursery in the past, no reason to think the bulbs aren't BP. But, You may want to save the tags so that if they bloom some other color, you can return. they have to make it right w/ label and sales receipt.
whatever this bulb is called, Black Pearl, Red Pearl, Benfica, whatever! it is absolutely beautiful and worth having in your collection. That dark red color is something else
This nursery has an excellent reputation. They had a very nice variety of bulbs but this was the only one that sold out. I tried looking for Simple Pleasures on line but it was a bit confusing. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and post pics when they bloom. Thanks Vossner