My interst of achimenes was awakened when this plant was given to me by my husbands Great Aunt, over 40 years ago. She had, had it for years, so I think it must come from Victorian times. It is an upright variety with a lovely spotted throat. Unfortunately I do not know the name of this variety. If anyone has any idea please email me. My address is on my all about me page.
I tried to collect different colours back then, but as they were not very popular I had great difficulty in finding them. However, over the past few years they have become popular once again and the old varieties were available to buy. Recently people have been hybridizing them, so new colours have appeared. Of course we now have the internet to find and order new hybrids.

I cannot remember the order I got the rest of my current plants. Quite a few were a Mothers Day present. I had circled a few I liked in a catalogue from a nursery that specialises in Gesneriads, for my daughter to choose from. She bought me every one that I had circled! I am a lucky mum.

Achimenes are commonly called hot water plants, they got this name because they need warm water to persuade the rhyzomes to sprout. They are from the same family of plants as African Violets, (Gesneriads).They were very popular during the Victorian times and recently have become popular again, with many hybrids and colours offered for sale. I have hybridized some myself and got some interesting variations from the same parent plants.
Here is my collection of species and hybrids that I have bought or been given over the years.

An image to show the range of sizes and shapes of the flowers I have.

Purple

 

Pink

This one I bought on ebay, because I liked the colour, but it is another unknown variety.

The following are the varieties that my daughter bought me.

Yellow Beauty

A tall variety that needs a little support. The flowers are darker yellow when they first open and then fade to a lovely lemon, with a brown spotted throat. This is a hybrid from Little beauty x Flavia by Lyon in 1964

Patens Major

This one is an old Victorian variety. It is a species of Achimenes and not a hybrid. It was discovered in Mexico around 1840.

Weinrot Elfe

Peach Glow (R. Brumpton)

Opal

Hybidizer K J Townsend

Erecta

This is another species that grows wild in Mexico. It was originally known as Columnea erecta Lam. and dated 1786.

Jubilee Gem

Ambrose Verschafelt

This is a cultivar that was introduced in 1855. A Victorian variety, named after the famous Belgian horticulturist and author of several books on floriculture, Ambroise Verschaffelt (1825-1886). In the UK, this cultivar has received the prestigious award of the Royal Horticultural Society (Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit).

Violacea Semi-Plena

Victorian variety introduced in 1857

Longifora Major

Once again it is a species from Mexico and the earliest date I can find is 1839.

Lady in Black

Serge Saliba hybridised this in 2007.

My Hybrids

Two years ago I cross pollinated some of my varieties to see what I would get. It is a slow process and I probably won’t see the resulting colour until the third year. The first year the seed was set and collected and stored until the following spring. The seed is finer than some pollens and looks like dust. I planted the seed, labeled it and waited for the seedlings to appear. I was lucky two of the hybrids grew and flowered last year. The others grew leaves, made rhyzomes and thenn went into their dormancy. Hopefully I will see the results this year. Here is a picture of the seed under a microscope, magnified 250 times. Followed by A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 Hybrid. I will think of names for them later. A1 was a cross of Father pink and Mother Jubilee Gem. A2 Same parentage slightly different shape and colour. A3 Mother Jubilee Gem Father Salmon pink, A4 is an unknown hybrid it lost its label and A5 Mother Weinrot Elfe, Father Erecta.

2020 has been an exceptionally hot summer. Look what happened to A5.

collection for 2016

This year I was able to buy some varieties that are usually hard to get in the uk. I was outbid on a few and then given a second chance to buy, which I did.

Big Weiss

This is a hybrid with a stocky habit and thick stems with large flowers. earliest date I can find is 2010

Serge Saliba’s hybrids

Serge Saliba is an Achimenes grower and hybridizer from Romania. He has a photos of many of his hybrids on flicker. I already own lady in Black and have been after many of his colours. This year I am fortunate to have aquired a few.

Serge’s Fantasy

This is a double variety that he crossed with A. ‘Elegance’ x A. ‘Rainbow Warrior’. I have found it to be very free flowering and nice firm stems. An upright variety.

Sugarland

 

 

 

 

Sun Wind 2010

2020. This year I have fed the plants with weak Tomotorite every 2 weeks. Sun Wind has rewarded me with this beautiful display.

Golden Butterfly

Hybridized in 2010

2020. This one has also rewarded my feeding with a beautiful display.

Dot

 

 

 

Earliest date I can find is 2006.

Illya Melnyk 2013

Once again two different types of flowers on the same plant. I wonder if it is temperature as they are developing.

Abyss

Big Bang

2010

Serge Saliba

Crossed with 2007, ‘Orange Queen’ / A. ‘ Yellow Queen”

2019

Peach Blossom

Vivid

A hybrid of Longiflora

Iced Tea

2020

I have managed to collect a few more varieties this year.

Ever Blue

The first to flower is Ever Blue Hybridized by Serge Saliba in 2012. Photos to follow as they Flower.

Yellow English Rose

Yellow English Rose: Created in 2012. Well this is an interesting one. Some of the flowers are lemony pink and the others Lemon and they are all on the same stem.

Mexicana

This is a species and not a hybrid. The earliest date I can find is 1853

Kim Blue

A hybrid from Longiflora

Hot Spot

Hot Spot 2012, an apt name for a yellowish bloom with deep pink blotches.

Blueberry Lemon

2009. Both flowers are on the same plant. Maybe I will update if there are any changes.

Yellow Fever

This one was hybridised in 2012. 27.07.2020 a second flower opened and is totally different.

Misera

This is a species and has beautiful tiny flowers. I have found an early date of 1838. It is native to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

Huguess Aufrey

Cattleya

I am wondering if this one was sold to me with the correct label as it doesn’t look like the images that I have looked up on line.

Mesange Blanc

2020 has been a very hot summer, so a lot of my achimenes are coming out weird colours.