Harold Koopowitz. Clivia. Timber Press. 2002.

Clivias are the only houseplants I've heard of being described as family heirlooms! They may sell for $100s or even $1000s of dollars. You may find a Clivia plant at a specialist nursery or even your local home depot! If you acquire one of these beautiful plants, you'll want to have this book in your possession too so you understand how to properly care for this very special houseplant. Since this is a lowlight plant, many consider it the perfect houseplant.

CONTENTS

According to Chapter 1, Clivia Nobilis was discovered in South Africa by William J. Burchell in 1810. It is possible that other botanists and plant explorers made the discovery earlier. Some plant growers love to discover the historical records of when a plant was first discovered while others aren't concerned with this topic. Regardless of which group you are in, you should know that the South Africans called this plant "boslelie" which means Forest lily in the English language. The common name, "Kaffir lily", used in North America and China, is now considered a derogatory term in the South African language and should be immediately dropped by all nurseries.

There are only four species in the Clivia family. Chapter 2 presents a detailed description of each species and beautiful photographs. I can almost guarantee you that the photographs alone will make you crave these plants. This information is followed by a thorough discussion of the biology of the Clivia plant in chapter 3. The biological discussion is very thorough and informative. It should be noted that Clivia species take up to five years to reach flowering size which helps to explain the high price of these wonderful plants.

Clivias are fairly easy to grow if you follow the instructions in Chapter 4. I have owned one such plant for nearly two years which has yet to flower for me. I learned that these plants demand a significant drop in evening temperatures during the fall season if they are to set buds for the next winter or spring. Since they can withstand temperatures just above freezing, I plan to leave my plant outside for most of the month of September in Michigan, bringing it in only if frost or snow threatens. Watering, fertilizing, potting media and pests are all discussed. You'll even find good suggestions on where to place the plant in your landscape (only if it never goes to freezing) or within your home for best growing results.

Those of you that enjoy studying plant genetics, especially of color, will find the next two chapters (5 and 6) of interest. Here you will learn how to plan your plant crosses (via pollination) to produce new hybrids. I must admit this information goes a bit over my head but I am glad the author includes it for those who comprehend it. We need people that learn enough about the genetics of this particular houseplant so that there is a steady supply of new cultivars at our plant nurseries.

Chapter 7, entitled "Clivia Obsession" talks about the people who can't have enough of these plants. I must strongly disagree with one statement the author makes in this chapter:

Clivias have several unusual features, besides their ease of growth and longevity, that make them a good hobbyist's plant. … They make big seeds that are easy to count and handle, and growing them is almost as easy as planting beans. In fact, making and growing Clivia seeds is a great project for a small child. [page 171]

The remaining chapters (8-14) discuss certain hybrid colors, variegated leaves, the different flower styles, and some of the novelty plants that have been hybridized from the various Clivia species. The final chapter makes some interesting predictions for the future of this plant. These chapters are enough to make you want a large greenhouse so you can grow every Clivia species or hybrid you can find! Unfortunately, most of us could not afford the cost of having that many Clivia plants.

RECOMMENDATION

Since Clivias are one of the easiest houseplants to grow, if you can provide the cool night temperatures needed before blooming, I strongly recommend this book to you. This book is easy to read and nicely illustrated. It will send you on an internet search for nurseries selling these plants. Be prepared to lay out some hard cash for just a few plants. Perhaps you will become the next person obsessed with Clivias.