Philesiaceae

 

This small Family, of about five genera, is native to the temperate to sub tropical rainforest areas of Chile. They are a constituent part of the Liliales.

 

Two, very showy, monotypic genera (Lapageria and Philesia) are found in temperate areas and are suitable for cultivation in milder parts of the UK or as conservatory plants. They both have very striking, colourful, flaring, tubular flowers.

 

Lapageria

 

The Chilean Bell Flower, Lapageria rosea, is a climbing plant from the shaded understorey of the temperate rain forests of Southern Chile with sparsely foliaged, wiry, twining stems rising from a fleshy rootstock and impressive and substantial flared, tubular flowers. The flowers are pollinated by Humming Birds in nature – thus it is necessary to pollinate artificially if seeds are required in the UK. This process can be very successful in producing good crops of viable seeds. The colour of the flowers is normally pink or red but white and a range of colours have been selected and clonally propagated in cultivation. 

 

The fruit is a substantial indehiscent, fleshy berry in which many seeds are embedded in the flesh. The seeds are oily and deteriorate readily so that fresh seed should be processed and used as quickly as possible. The seeds should be washed free of the flesh - as this appears to hamper germination. The conventional germination of dried and stored seed can be lengthy, only partially successful and erratic. Fresh seed responds very adequately.

 

The seeds respond, with the speediest and most synchronised emergence, if they are soaked in warm water for 48 hours, then chilled for 28 days at 3˚C and then germinated at 20˚C.

 

Philesia

 

Philesia magellanica is one of the jewels of the spectrum of shaded, understorey shrubs of the southern Chilean, temperate rain forest. This low, thicket forming evergreen shrub has wiry stems and stiff lanceolate leaves which are dark green above and glaucous beneath. The flowers are about 5cm long and are very similar to those of Lapageria also in a variety of colours ranging from red through pink to apricot and white.

 

The germination pretreatments and environment are the same as for Lapageria.