Product Review

Papillio, French for "butterfly", produces flowers that actually appear capable of fluttering away. The most famous of the exotic amaryllis, Papillio makes an amazing houseplant, growing larger as the seasons pass with the addition of smaller side bulbs. Snowy petals with maroon brushings and stripes, tinged with lime green. Flowers are 6" across and numerous. Truly a winged wonder. Note (Insider Info) In 2008, the primary Dutch grower for this amaryllis cultivar went out of business. After much research and many conversations with others in the flower bulb industry worldwide, we believe there is now a single flower farmer in Holland growing the true strain of Papillio. While there are papillio wanabee cultivars on the market, ones with names like 'Papillio Elite' and 'Papillio Improved', these amaryllis are neither the true strain, nor improvements on the original, based on growing trials and customer feedback. Mature bulbs for the true Papillio amaryllis tend to be smaller than other amaryllis. Holland field conditions for the sole true-strain grower resulted in unusually compact bulbs this year. His largest, (which we have), are 18-20 cm versus the 26 cm size previously offered. This size is big enough to deliver the gorgeous burgundy striped blooms Papillio is justly famous for; probably 1 or 2 flower stalks, rather than more. (We've adjusted the price a bit this year to allow for this size difference.) Also, while we don't quite know why, many of this year's Papillio bulbs have a "baby" stuck to the side of the mother bulb, a jump start on the multi-bulb clump this amaryllis can develop into over time. Our team strives to deliver the biggest, best bulbs available and stock that is true to name. Given all the work that goes into fulfilling that quality promise, we want you to know that these Papillio are the true strain, the real deal, and the largest bulbs available for the 2010 season.