Pleione hybrids (I)

One of the most important developments in Pleiones was made in the 70s when Dr. Harberd crossed the easy going Pleione formosana with the tricky Pleione x confusa, a natural yellow hybrid to produce the stunning Shantung hybrids. These range from pink, through apricot shades to yellow. Because Pleione species are so variable, the hybrids are variable so the hybrid is given a name, and then particular selection or clone is given a further name. The plant above is Pleione Shantung "Muriel Harberd".  Interestingly the the colour of Shantungs is affected by the winter rest temperature so that different years the same plant can appear in different shades.

Pleione Shantung "Maryfield clone"

Pleione Gerry Munday. This is a complex hybrid with some speciosa and forrestii blood (forrestii is a yellow species and here has imparted some yellow colouration to the lip).

Pleione el Pico "Kestrel", a beautiful study in pink and crimson.