You can tell a lot about a culture by the word its citizens use to describe the insect we call “butterfly”. German butterflies have such a weighty-sounding name–“schmetterling”—that it’s a wonder they manage to take to the air. The French and Italians allow their butterflies to float along as “papillon” or “farfalla”. Spaniards delight in the lilting sound and appearance of “mariposa”. The English word makes the creatures sound both rich and light–possibly synonymous with the phrase “perfect dessert”.
Of course a butterfly by almost any name would be beautiful. The so-called “butterfly amaryllis” does not fly, but does credit to its winged namesake. I received a butterfly amaryllis—Amaryllis papilio–from an anonymous friend in time for Christmas flowering and it has bloomed beautifully. In fact, it is so beautiful that I wish I could thank the donor. Sadly, the mail order nursery left off the gift tag, so I am still in the dark. None of my friends will fess up, so I will have to send my gratitude off into the ether—like a butterfly.
Amaryllis have become such holiday staples that just about everyone recognizes them. Papilios have the same configuration, starting with a base of strap-like leaves that gives rise to a tall flower stalk or stalks. The blooms have long reminded florists and garden writers of orchids, with broad white petals liberally marked with stripes or swathes of either dark maroon or reddish brown. The throats can be a bit greenish as well. Unlike their hybrid Hippeastrum relatives, papilios do not open wide, but remain about three quarters open during their blooming period. Despite the dramatic coloring, they manage to look more sophisticated and less flamboyant than the run of the mill Christmas amaryllis.
My papilio bloomed so well this Christmas that I would like to keep it for a repeat performance next year. The plant tag warns against this. The three bulbs are examples of the latest amaryllis trend—“waxed” amaryllis”—which means that each one is encased in a protective wax coating. This innovation, if it can be called that, allows the bulbs to flower without water, greatly increasing the options for display in a variety of settings. The flip side of this benefit is that the bulbs become one-time wonders. Without water, they will die after flowering. This makes them perfect for decorators, floral designers and people who put all the holiday plants at the curb on the first bulk pick-up day after December twenty-fifth, but a disappointment for those of us who want to nurture and keep them.
I am undaunted by such things. Tomorrow I will pluck the bulbs out of the sphagnum moss bed where they have resided during their moments of floral glory, hum a verse of “Born Free” and peel of the wax coatings. They will then be planted with their bases in soil and watered just like their non-waxed relations. When spring comes, they will join the other amaryllis outside for the duration of the growing season.
I hope the wax removal and follow-up care will mark the start of a relationship that leads to more flowers next year. According to the literature, papilio amaryllis types do not need the dormancy period required by other amaryllis, so my papilios and I should be able to jog along happily together as the seasons advance. I will keep the bulbs somewhat pot-bound, as they like that kind of coziness. Eventually my formerly wax-bound beauties may even produce offshoots that will ultimately favor me with more orchid-like blooms. I may be something of a horticultural Luddite, but I hate to consign bulbs with such potential to the compost pile.
Most of the commercially-available papilios are hybrids or varieties of the species form, which is found naturally in Brazil. Unfortunately it is endangered in the wild, which means that the genetic diversity of future generations of papilios is in jeopardy. I hope that plant scientists and ecologists will find a way to increase the wild population, as lost or compromised plant species diminish the horticultural world.
If you have received waxed amaryllis or other bulbs for holiday display and you have the interest and space to grow them on, be fearless and remove the wax casings before repotting the bulbs. It only takes a few minutes. Consider it a New Year’s gift to yourself.