Wither Minerva?

A few years ago, when running a box kit feature, I ran into a ‘Minerva’ impostor situation that was nearly undetectable. Bulbs that are not in peak condition, well-rooted, and grown in ideal warmth and light can exhibit wildly variable floral characteristics from the expected norms. The marketing of varieties that are very similar in character using vague stock images doesn’t help matters. This has always steered Emaryllis towards a conservative approach in declaring certain varieties “true” or not until more than one season of flowering can be observed.

This year, a ‘Minerva’ box kit yielded an unsurprising mislabeling, and as was the case a few years back, the similar ‘Mambo’ was the cultivar supplied. ‘Minerva’ has been the standard bearer for red and white bicolor offerings for decades. It is fast to force, reliable, and amazingly cheerful. Doubtless, it has some drawbacks; its susceptibility to red scorch fungus and over-eagerness to sprout are well known. Hence the attempts to unseat it from its reigning position in the ‘top three.’ The other two, ‘Appleblossom’, and ‘Red Lion’ also face challenges to their historic positions at the top of the sales charts. If there are amaryllis sales charts 😉 Is this a bad thing? In this case, yes.

Here was an individually labeled dry bulb purchased on the cheap from a big box hardware store. The label and photo are clear, this is to be ‘Minerva’. The label states the same origin (Brazil) as the box kit that turned out to be ‘Mambo’, which is what made me suspect potential trouble. Judging by this result, it seems that ‘Minerva’, while still in production, is losing ground. This in itself is sure to happen as new cultivars come along, but the misrepresentation is not good for business. ‘Mambo’, though nicely compact (and possibly a better potted plant in the long run) seems to chronically underperform when forced from smaller, poorly rooted bulbs. ‘Minerva’ would have out-shined this bulb I would be willing to bet. Being grown in the Southern Hemisphere means it is still subject to early sprouting, defeating one of the supposed advantages. There could be hope in yet another cultivar, but this one just doesn’t seem to cut the mustard. Now, if the likes of  the magnificent ‘Mega Star’ were to become the new ‘Minerva’, Emaryllis might just be singing a different tune!