Cape Clivias
Clivia Colours
Clivia miniatas (the most commonly recognized Clivias) are mostly orange in their natural habitat, but there are 5 other known species types (including robusta, gardenii, caulescens, mirabilis and nobilis) which offer different shades of yellow, red, orange, green, cream, pink and all the various shades of colour that lie between. Breeders have been developing new cultivars from these forms (and from genetically mutated plants that have been discovered) by hybridizing, thereby creating the amazing colour range and form that is available today. Interspecifics, the crossing between the species, usually Miniata, and another, has become very popular in recent years.
Some of these amazing colours and forms are shown below.
Orange / Bronze
Clivia miniata (Orange) is a green, strappy leafed evergreen plant, growing in clumps and producing umbels of a range of vibrant orange to bronze trumpet-shaped flowers from late winter into spring. These are the most recognised plants that gardeners use to landscape difficult areas of shade combined with root systems of existing trees
Ghosts (Watercolours)
Ghost Clivias have tepals that look as if they have been sun bleached. These washed-out sections can form very attractive patterns, sometimes having a dark edge (rim) to each petal. Ghosting can occur within different colour ranges, but red and orange ghosts seem to be more readily available.
MultiTepal
Clivia miniata (Multitepals) have been developed through selective breeding. The number of tepals exceed the usual 6, and can exceed 10 on each flower (of the umbel). The number of stamens are usually higher than 6 as well. Breeders sometimes indicate what percentage of the umbel has multitepal flowers, and those with 100% are obviously more sought after. It is also possible for the flowers to have 'petaloids', which are smaller petals (sometimes attached in some way to the stamens).
Yellow
Yellow Clivias range from dark canary yellow to a very light (almost white) cream. These plants are still more sought after than the oranges, and cultivars with many flowers per umbel or green throats have become more available. Breeding with yellows is not as easy as crossing two yellow plants and expecting all the offspring to be yellow. Yellows fall into different groupings, depending on where chromosome mutation has taken place, and only yellows within the same groupings will produce yellow offspring. An incorrect crossing will result in orange offspring.
The most well known groups are Group 1 (e.g. Vico Yellow, Watkins Yellow, Kistenbosch Yellow, etc) and Group 2 (e.g. Natal Yellow, Giddy Yellow, Hirao Green, TK Yellows and Greens). There are other smaller groupings that are not found too often.
Peach
Peach Clivias also have a range of shades to choose from, and like the yellow clivias, fall into groupings. Once again, breeding across the groups will likely result in the default orange colour.
Group 1 peaches include Chubb's Peach, Vico Peach, Chiba peach and the Poorman's peach range. There are fewer Group 2 peaches to pick from; Cransley Peach and Cransrao are two of these.... and then there are the European peaches, of which Victorian peach, Tipperary Peach and Cameron peach are well known.
Green
Green Clivias are a relatively new development in the clivia world, but they are now starting to become more widely available, and therefore more affordable. The Hirao and TK range of greens are well known, but individual plants, such as Charl's Green, also play a big part in the breeding of sought after intensely-colored, compact, top quality plants.
Splash Types
Coming soon...
Red
Coming soon...
Species and Interspecifics
Coming soon...
