vase-life extendersPREPARATION Unpack Alstroemerias imme-

diately upon their arrival, and check flower

quality. Remove all stem bindings, and strip

foliage from the lower portions of the

stems—only the portions that will be under

water in storage containers (removing too

much foliage can reduce vase life). Leave

plastic sleeves on while the flowers initially

hydrate, to reduce damage to blooms.

HYDRATION AND NUTRITION Recut stems on

an angle with a clean, sharp blade, remov-

ing at least 1 inch of stem. Cut off any

whitish, or “blanched,” portion, if present,

to enhance solution uptake.

Immediately after cutting, dip or place

the stems into a hydration solution to help

the flowers take up water more quickly,

then place them into a sterilized storage

container partially filled with either prop-

erly prepared bulb-flower-food solution or

low-dose (low sugar) flower food (holding

solution)— made with nonfluoridated

water, if possible (some Alstroemeria vari-

eties are sensitive to fluoride, which most

tap water contains).

REFRIGERATION Immediately after process-

ing, place Alstroemerias into a floral cooler

at 33 F to 35 F for at least two hours before

arranging or selling them. Unless you need

blooms to open quickly, keep these flowers

refrigerated until they’re arranged or sold.

ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY The effects of ethyl-

ene gas vary greatly by cultivar. Symptoms

of exposure include wilted flowers, petal or

leaf drop, and transparent petals, so ensure

all your purchases are treated with an eth-

ylene inhibitor at the grower or during

shipping. In addition, keep them away

from sources of ethylene in your facility

such as fruit and other produce, decaying

flowers and foliage, automobile exhaust,

and tobacco smoke.

CARE EXTRA If any young secondary buds at

the bases of the primary buds (or open

flowers) were not pinched off at the grow-

er level, remove them to promote the

development of the other flowers and

increase vase life.

CONSUMER ACTION Advise customers to cut

off individual blooms as they die and recut

stem ends and change flower-food solution

every two or three days.

challengesPREMATURE LEAF YELLOWING Alstroemerias

experience hormone imbalances when they

are cut from their bulbs, which can cause

premature leaf yellowing. Hormone-replen-

ishing pretreatments formulated specifically

for Alstroemerias (generally administered at

16super

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Super Floral Retailing has created this pagefor the education of store-level employees.To download a reprintable PDF, please goto www.superfloralretailing.com and select“Current Issue.”

cut flower of the month

BOTANICAL NAMEAlstroemeria

(al-stro-MEE-ree-uh)

COMMON NAMESPeruvian lily, Lily-of-the-Incas

DESCRIPTIONAlstroemerias’ six-“petaled” trumpet-

shaped blooms resemble miniature lilies

and appear individually on lateral

branchlets clustered atop smooth stems

that bear scattered thin twisted leaves.

COLORSThese flowers are available in virtually

every color except blue, and many vari-

eties are spotted, striped, dappled or

tinged with yellow.

VASE LIFEStems of Alstroemerias typically provide

consumers six to 14 days of enjoyment,

depending on care, environmental condi-

tions and variety (vase life varies greatly

by cultivar). Individual blooms, however,

have shorter vase lives.

AVAILABILITYAlstroemerias are available year-round

from both domestic and foreign grow-

ers—although, according to USDA fig-

ures, approximately 93 percent of the

Alstroemerias available for sale in the U.S.

are grown in Colombia while only 4 per-

cent are produced in the States.

fun factsNAME AND NATIONALITY The genus nameAlstroemeria was given in honor of Swedishbaron Clas Alströmer, who brought seeds ofthis plant to Europe from South America in1754. The common names, Peruvian liliesand lilies-of-the-Incas, were derived fromthe lilylike form of the blooms and the flow-ers’ nativity to Peru (home of the Incanempire) and parts of Chile and Brazil. FAMILY MATTERS The genus Alstroemeriawas originally classified in the Liliaceae (lily)family and later in the Amaryllidaceae(amaryllis) family. Modern botanists, however,have created a new family, Alstroemeriaceae,which comprises only Alstroemeria andBomarea (climbing Alstroemeria).

AlstroemeriaPeruvian lily, Lily-of-the-Incas

Phot

o: E

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ogy

alstroemeria

purchasing adviceSelect bunches that have strong, straightstems; dark green leaves; one or two openflowers per stem; and most buds showingcolor. Watch for bruised florets andcrushed, yellow or moldy foliage.

17super

floral retailingnovember ’11www.superfloralretailing.com

the grower or wholesaler) can reduce leaf yellowing,

as can bulb-flower foods, which contain naturally

occurring plant hormones.

Leaf yellowing also results from too much sugar

in flower-food solution. Both bulb-flower foods and

low-dose flower foods (holding solutions) have less

sugar than standard flower foods, and the use of

either is recommended for Alstroemeria storage.

TOXICITY ALERT Frequent handling of these flowers

can cause contact dermatitis—a sometimes severe

inflammation of the skin—in some people. They

also can cause gastrointestinal discomfort if any

parts are ingested.

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‘Virginia’Royal Van Zanten B.V.

‘Fuji’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Himalaya’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘White Forest’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Santorini’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Platina’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Napoli’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Hot Pepper’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

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‘Angelina’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

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‘Magic Red’Association of Colombian Flower Exporters,

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Some information provided by:Botanica, by R.G. Turner Jr. and Ernie WassonChain of Life Network® , www.chainoflife.orgCut Flowers, by C. GeleinCut Flowers of the World

by Johannes Maree and Ben-Erik van WykHortus Third

by Liberty Hyde Bailey and Ethel Zoe BaileySAF Flower & Plant Care,

by Terril A. Nell, Ph.D. and Michael S. Reid, Ph.D.Stearn’s Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners

by William T. Stearn

Do you need a quick

and easy reference

for information about

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‘Firenze’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Bordeaux’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Isola’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Shakira’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Kodiak’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Orange Flame’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Greenday’Könst Alstroemeria B.V. sfr

‘Tiger’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Pumori’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

‘Switch’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.

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‘Nadya’Royal Van Zanten B.V.

‘Symphony Red Passion’Esmeralda Breeding and Biotechnology

‘Tampa’Könst Alstroemeria B.V.