Almost black? I'd love to know of this cross. All the dark red ones I've seen till now had more or less red wine colour.

The darkest I know of are Black Beauty and Red Pearl both are for Hippeastrum terms really dark with lighter and darker veins but they ain't almost black.

We had this discussion on the Exotenforum, since you've lived in Germany, you'll understand it:

Here is a link that might be useful: Dunkelroteste Amaryllis?

No this was not a deep red. It was like a midnight blue, real dark purple or black. I tried back then to get the baby bulbs off the parent bulb but it was so close to the time I moved back here that I never got to see what they did. The people I used to live with dont live there anymore either so no idea where they went or what happened to those Amaryllis.

I have never heard of a blue or purple amaryllis/hippeastrum... but there is supposed to be a blue/lavender flower in the lycoris family. I have never seen one in person, though, so I cannot comment on the true color.

As far as I am aware, deep red/burgundy is about as close to black as it gets.

Never heard of black hippis either. Would be great to see. Here's the closest I've seen, in my own kitchen (Benfica)
K This color is "true":
{{gwi:405321}}

in my research I think that the Benfica is the closest thing I have seen yet. Any suggestions where I could get some of those?

Let's see if this reply shows up 4 times like the one sent this morning!

McClure & Zimmerman still claim to have Benfica:
http://www.mzbulbfall.com/dp.asp?c=106&P="E4BA4E4B-3C5A-4478-9A55-12E0D01B1008>;

Always a gamble.
Kristi

I got my Benfica from kvB...and they still have them in lots of 3. Good trade potential!
K http://www.kvbwholesale.com/store/amaryllisother/15441

My Benfica from Holland on the right. Not that dark maybe due to the hot weather over here.

{{gwi:408674}}

KVB says it's the darkest red they've found:
{{gwi:444189}}

I was not disappointed:
{{gwi:376551}}

You could even tell before it opened that it wasn't going to be any ordinary red!
{{gwi:401473}}

Mine bloomed in April, so it wasn't particularly cool (cold) here. It was in the house where the temperature was high 60s-low 70s.
:-)
K

I'd have to say that Red Pearl is fairly close to Benfica and Black Pearl... about as close as it gets without actually being Benfica or Black Pearl! Those are the three darkest reds I've seen to date.

I was reading about black Tulips the other day, and even those are not a true black... they're just a very deep red.

Some colors are just not part of some flower species... for the Hippeastrum, those include a true black, a blue, and a bright saturated yellow... although, the yellows are getting better.

The darkest bloom I can think of at the moment is of Alcea rosea nigra ... I really like those!

Jodik: Where are the differences then? On the pictures I've seen, Red Pearl seemed to have clearer veins ... but that could have also been the photography ...

What about McGuire's Black Knight? Did anyone order that?

How does it compare to Benfica?

G

As I recall, Carl, my Red Pearl looked almost as dark as Benfica or Black Pearl... slightly lighter, but not by too much. I'll have to dig up the pictures I took last year... let me find them, and I'll post tomorrow.

I have the black Hollyhocks growing here, too! They are about as close to a real black as I've ever seen!

Ah, Hollyhock, that's how you call them. I sowed lots of them last year but just very few germinated.

I'd love to see a direct comparison between the three of them. I would love to buy a dark red one but it has to be the best. It's not essential that it's the darkest one to me but the one with the best performance, flower form and so on since I want to use it for crosses.

I think it's also really interesting how the colour varies in coralred's compared to Kristi's blooms.

These are photos of Red Pearl, most taken with a flash due to her positioning on the north windowsill...

Red Pearl the first time she bloomed for me...
{{gwi:382118}}

Red Pearl in bloom last March...
{{gwi:390713}}

The bulb all the way to the right is Red Pearl... strong growth and large leaves...
{{gwi:384522}}

And these are the black Hollyhocks!
{{gwi:415744}}

Red Pearl isn't quite as dark as Benfica or Black Pearl, but she's pretty dark as reds go.

I'm not sure if the flash lightens it up somewhat, but it's a fairly dark red to the naked eye. I don't have Benfica to compare her with in person, but it's on my wish list... maybe next year!

Thanks for showing! I've searched the forums here a bit regarding purpleclovers objection and MAGUIRE'S BLACK KNIGHT seems to be really interesting:

Here is a link that might be useful: Some hippeastrum out today

Black Knight looks nice! That would be a good dark red to have...

Did you see Samba? I have that one getting ready to bloom! I'm so excited! I love the petal configuration... it's such a different shape! The colors are nice, too!

I thought I remembered it as a red-white one, but I had to check it. It's nice but not my taste, I prefer the more star-shaped ones with thinner petals.