Cultivar
B. ‘Amabilis’
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. ‘Amabilis’
- Originator
- Rochfort
- Date of Origin
- 1905
- Place
- France
- Country
- France
- Region
- Europe
- Plant Type
- Hiemalis
- Female Parent
- B. ‘Gloire de Lorraine’
- Male Parent
- B. socotrana
- Publication Reference
- BEG; WBHC-WW
Plant
- Description
- The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening London 1871-1927 v. 69 1906: Page 69 http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/82721 BEGONIA ‘AMABILIS’. This is the first seedling I have seen from the Gloire de Lorraine type. It was raised by Messrs. Thomas Rochford and Sons, Limited, who exhibited it at the Royal Horticultural Hall a few weeks ago. It may be mentioned that the seed parent was one of the recent sports from ‘Gloire de Lorraine’. This, which was first shown by Mr. R. B. May under the name of ‘Masterpiece’, has occurred in several places and been shown under other names. It is distinct from the type, being more vigorous, and the flowers, which are equally bright, are rather larger. The seedlings were from one seed-pod which had been fertilized with pollen from B. socotrana, which, it will be remembered, was one of the parents of ‘Gloire de Lorraine’. The most distinct feature of the seedlings is that the leaves are distinctly peltate, but not so rough as in socotrana, which also has peltate leaves. The basal leaves are large, but those on the flower-stems are smaller. The plants when shown were only about four months old. A remarkable feature was that very little variation was seen in a number of seedlings. It evidently possesses the free-flowering habit of its parent. It is possible, now we have a sport that has proved fertile, that further hybrids may be raised; yet it would seem difficult to get a much better thing than the original ‘Gloire de Lorraine’, which has become a universal favorite. It is now grown in almost every private garden, and we have it in the market for over six months of the year. It is grown too extensively to realize high prices; yet well-grown plants will always sell well. The white variety, ‘Turnford Hall’, does not sell quite so well in market, there being so many other good white flowers; but private growers should always associate it with the pink. Here I may mention that we are likely to have an improved form of this. Mr. H. B. May has a variety he has named ‘Mont Blanc’ which as shown was decidedly a clearer white and seemed to be as great an advance on ‘Turnford Hall’ as ‘Masterpiece’ is to the original form of ‘Gloire de Lorraine’. There is no doubt that all the stock of this useful Begonia is better now than when it was first introduced. I should recommend all growers to be careful to select the strongest plants only for cuttings. By doing this I think we may get further vigor into this useful plant; but I do not approve of renaming every variation that is found. Unless decidedly distinct, it should be grown under the old name. Lorraine is the abbreviated market name, and though we see a good many of the variety ‘Mrs. Leopold de Rothschild’, the name is not generally recognized. A. HEMSLEY; Florists' review, Chicago: Florists' Pub. Co. v. 17: no. 431 (1906): Page: 1352 http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/86132 'This was one of the most interesting plants seen at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, says the Horticultural Advertiser. We have heard so much about the non-fertility of ‘Gloire de Lorraine’, that some may doubt the genuineness of seedlings from it. Well, with the above it may not be quite correct to say that it is from Lorraine, but it was the result of seed saved from one of the sports from that well-known variety, and a curious thing is that this sport has occurred with several growers. H. B. May, was the first to show it under the name of ‘Masterpiece’, but it has since been shown under other names. T. Rochford & Sons, however, adopted the name: ‘Masterpiece’, and it is to them, we owe the new variety, ‘Amabilis’. ‘Masterpiece’ produced female flowers last spring, and these were fertilized with pollen from B. socotrana. The plants raised from the seed varied but little, the most distinct character being the peltate leaves, which are also larger than in ‘Lorraine’. The plants shown, which were only about four months old, had thick flower stems, and the flowers were the same pleasing shade of pink as the parent. but appeared of better substance, and give great promise of making a more vigorous grower altogether. A remarkable point is that in a number of seedlings there should be so little variation. There is one fact, however which should be of interest; that is, a sport from ‘Lorraine’ has proved fertile, and we may now hope for further results from the same parent. The name ‘Amabilis’ may be appropriate, but we have a. species which came from Assam in 1859 under the same name, and this may cause some confusion.
Lineage
Parents
Ancestry tree
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
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