"Named as Hippeastrum 'Bao Mei Yi Hao', our newly-cultivated variety of hippeastrum was officially authorized for international registration by the Royal Dutch General Bulb Growers' Association this year," said Bai Yinfeng, head of the Flower Research Team at the Baotou Agricultural Science Institute.

The "Bao Mei Yi Hao" hippeastrum flower that is cultivated by Bai's team. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The main colors of this variety are orange-red, yellow, and green, with a trumpet-shaped flower and relatively short leaves. "This color combination is relatively rare, and it exhibits strong disease and pest resistance, making it very suitable for potting or indoor cultivation, and can also be used for cut-flower purposes," Bai explained.

International registration is a form of rights gained from identifying and determining the intellectual property of floral plants. It is one of the most important foundations in the modern floriculture industry and is considered as the international identity card for horticultural plants.

Actually, China has very few independently patented varieties of hippeastrum.

"To cultivate independently patented varieties of amaryllis, we have been introducing excellent varieties of hippeastrum and conducting trials and hybridization work since 2014. We have now cultivated dozens of new varieties of hippeastrum," introduced Bai.

The variety "Hippeastrum 'Bao Mei Yi Hao'" first bloomed in 2021, and after its growing characteristics stabilized in 2023, an application for international variety registration was submitted.