History of Clivia
Clivia, also known as kaffir lily or bush lily, originates in the subtropical forests on the eastern cape of South Africa.
The unique flowers caught the attention of English explorers traveling to foreign destinations during the 1800's rush to collect, name, and classify rare and unusual species.
William J.
Burchell, a British naturalist stationed in Cape Town, scientifically recorded the first specimen in 1813, calling it a "forest cyrtanthus".
Now known as Clivia nobilis, the plant grows pendulant tubular flowers in shades of scarlet with green tips.
James Bowie, a plant collector commissioned by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, transported live plants back to England in 1822.
There were two competing botanists, John Lindley and William Hooker, who published articles naming the new plant -- on the same day! While both names co-existed in printed materials for a while and rumors swirled on exactly how each acquired their specimen, over time John Lindley's C.
nobilis name presided.
Nobilis means "noble person's orchid", and Clivia honors the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte Florentine Clive, who cultivated the first flowers in her conservatory across the river from Kew.
C.
miniata, the most commonly grown species today, was discovered in the early 1850's in the garden province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Breeders and collectors raved about the extraordinary flowers, creating fervent demand for Clivia as an easy to grow houseplant throughout Europe in Victorian times.
Sir William Hooker, knighted after his service as Director of Kew Gardens, named a third species, C.
gardenii, in 1856.
Around 1888, the discovery of C.
miniarta var.
citrina, a yellow flowered variety, and C.
caulescens, with red pendulous flowers, delighted serious breeders worldwide.
Collectors introduced a cross of C.
nobilis and C.
miniata to Japan, Korea and China sometime between 1868 and 1912, and botanists there began to breed specialized hybrids sporting variegated leaves and unusually colored flowers.
Third generation Clivia breeder, E.
P.
Zimmerman, brought Clivias to California, USA, when he immigrated from Germany in 1907.
A fifth species, C.
mirabilis, was discovered in 2002, with a sixth, C.
robusta (swamp Cliva) re-categorized as a separate species in 2004.
Most breeders today cross one of the pendulous species with C.
miniata, creating beautiful variations that command hundreds or even thousands of dollars from serious collectors.
I paid $35.
00 for a blooming size C.
miniata from White's Flower Farm in 1993 and the plant has grown from a single stem to three that bloom both spring and fall with two more not yet mature.
Read about how to grow Clivia miniata here.
The unique flowers caught the attention of English explorers traveling to foreign destinations during the 1800's rush to collect, name, and classify rare and unusual species.
William J.
Burchell, a British naturalist stationed in Cape Town, scientifically recorded the first specimen in 1813, calling it a "forest cyrtanthus".
Now known as Clivia nobilis, the plant grows pendulant tubular flowers in shades of scarlet with green tips.
James Bowie, a plant collector commissioned by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, transported live plants back to England in 1822.
There were two competing botanists, John Lindley and William Hooker, who published articles naming the new plant -- on the same day! While both names co-existed in printed materials for a while and rumors swirled on exactly how each acquired their specimen, over time John Lindley's C.
nobilis name presided.
Nobilis means "noble person's orchid", and Clivia honors the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte Florentine Clive, who cultivated the first flowers in her conservatory across the river from Kew.
C.
miniata, the most commonly grown species today, was discovered in the early 1850's in the garden province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Breeders and collectors raved about the extraordinary flowers, creating fervent demand for Clivia as an easy to grow houseplant throughout Europe in Victorian times.
Sir William Hooker, knighted after his service as Director of Kew Gardens, named a third species, C.
gardenii, in 1856.
Around 1888, the discovery of C.
miniarta var.
citrina, a yellow flowered variety, and C.
caulescens, with red pendulous flowers, delighted serious breeders worldwide.
Collectors introduced a cross of C.
nobilis and C.
miniata to Japan, Korea and China sometime between 1868 and 1912, and botanists there began to breed specialized hybrids sporting variegated leaves and unusually colored flowers.
Third generation Clivia breeder, E.
P.
Zimmerman, brought Clivias to California, USA, when he immigrated from Germany in 1907.
A fifth species, C.
mirabilis, was discovered in 2002, with a sixth, C.
robusta (swamp Cliva) re-categorized as a separate species in 2004.
Most breeders today cross one of the pendulous species with C.
miniata, creating beautiful variations that command hundreds or even thousands of dollars from serious collectors.
I paid $35.
00 for a blooming size C.
miniata from White's Flower Farm in 1993 and the plant has grown from a single stem to three that bloom both spring and fall with two more not yet mature.
Read about how to grow Clivia miniata here.
