Longwood Debutante

Description

This is the first cultivar released from the Longwood Gardens breeding program. The berry parent - seedling no. 89xv1-13 and the pollen parent - seedling no. 89xv1-11 resulted from a 1989 cross of Clivia miniata citrina - Longwood Gardens accession no. 1981-0239 and Longwood Gardens accession no. 1974-0850. The cross was made in 1993 by Dr. Robert Armstrong, Research Horticulturist at Longwood Gardens. Breeder's number 93xV7-5. Selection made in 1999. Longwood Gardens accession number 1999-0264. Nomenclatural standard deposited in KEN. The public release was at the March, 2011 conference of the NACS held at Longwood Gardens. Plant medium to large. Leaves 45 to 65cm long and 45 to 65mm wide, dull, dark green (RHD fan 3, Green Group 136B, Clivia Colour Chart II Swatch10/91). Scapes 37 to 56cm long. Umbels 21 to 26cm wide, with 10 to 24 flowers. Flowers 7 to 9cm wide,  and 7 to 9cm long, flared to nearly open with tepals diverging at about 45o. Pedicels 3 to 6cm long. Tepals overlapping from the base, obovate, slightly revolute, with rounded tips and entire margins. Inner tepals 35 to 45mm wide. Outer tepals 28 to 30mm wide. Inner and outer surface of tepals yellow. Inner surface transitions from RHS Fan 1 Yellow Group 3C (Clivia Colour Chart II Swatch 9/88) along the midrib to Yellow Group 1D (Clivia Colour Chart II Swatch 9/83) along the margin. Outer surface transitions from RHS Fan 1 Yellow Group 8B (Clivia Colour Chart II Swatch 9/87) along the midrib to Yellow group 8C (Clivia Colour Chart II Swatch 9/83) along the margin. The large, slightly fragrant yellow flowers with wide overlapping tepals are held in large umbels on sturdy scapes..

Photographs

• Longwood Gardens