HAIRY CAUCASIAN HYACINTH

Hairy Caucasian Hyacinth is a perennial bulbous plant from the amaryllis family, belonging to the genus Hipppeastrum. Its bulb is tunicate: a short thickened stem with closed scales, round or slightly conical, with a diameter of 5 to 10 cm. At the top of the bulb, a neck of 2.5–3 cm forms, while the base – the basal plate – is round, covered with brown dead tissue and a bundle of root cord-like roots. The root system consists of numerous fleshy adventitious roots with a diameter of 0.5–0.6 cm, up to 35 cm long, which gradually move higher up the stem as the plant ages.

The leaves of the Hairy Caucasian Hyacinth are linear, reaching 50–70 cm in length and 4–5 cm in width. They have a grooved upper surface and a keeled lower one with a prominent midrib located in two opposite rows. The leaves alternate: after three leaves with a closed base comes a leaf with an open base, where the inflorescence forms. During one growing season, the plant may form several cycles of leaves and inflorescences.

The inflorescences are umbels of 2–6 large, slightly zygomorphic, bisexual flowers located on a leafless stem (scape) with a height of 35 to 80 cm. The flower has a bright-red, dark-cherry, pink, orange, or white color, 13–15 cm long and 15–25 cm in diameter. Pollen is yellow and abundant; seeds are dry, flat, winged, dark-brown or black, with high germination (98–100 %). The plant blooms after the leaves of the corresponding period have withered, and the flower appears only the following year. Hairy Caucasian Hyacinth is distinguished by its resistance to adverse conditions and seed richness, which makes it valuable for horticulture and collectors.