Mauve Majesty
is one cool lily look-alike. This new pinkish-purple ornamental
flower, just patented by Cornell, can last for two weeks
in a vase, but when left in the garden, it blooms all summer
long in the cooler, northern states until the first hard
freeze in the fall.The new hybrid of the Inca lily (Alstroemeria),
which was developed by a Cornell professor, is a non-fragrant
perennial that is set apart by its lavender-lilac flower
color (which is adorned with dark speckling and a creamy
yellow throat), its strong, upright flower stems and its
winter hardiness. In greenhouses, the new hybrid never goes
dormant and grows year-round.
Developed by Mark Bridgen, Cornell professor of horticulture
and director of the Department of Horticulture's Long Island
Horticultural Research and Extension Center, the hybrid
is the first ornamental plant patented by Cornell, according
to Richard Cahoon, associate director of Patents and Technology
at Cornell's Technology Transfer Office.
It is also one of the first in its color class to be hardy
to zone 6 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness
Zone Map (coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York and northern New Jersey and much of the Midwest)
and often to many parts of the cooler zone 5 (which includes
western Massachusetts, mid-state New York, northern Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, much of Michigan, southern Iowa
and Nebraska, northern Missouri and Kansas, and eastern
Colorado).
"Alstroemeria flowers, native to South America, are
the fifth most popular cut flower in the United States,"
said Bridgen, who was recently awarded the 2008 Herbert
Medal from the International Bulb Society for meritorious
achievement in advancing knowledge of bulbous plants. "The
flowers can often be found in hotel lobbies and fancy restaurants
because they don't wilt for up to two weeks."
The hybrid, which botanically is not a lily, took five years
to develop, said Bridgen, which included testing it and
growing in large enough quantities to sell. It is now widely
available through nurseries and mail-order catalogs.
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