Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

• Clivia miniata forma variegata
• Clivia miniata f. variegata cv. Chinese Five Color Orchid

• Clivia miniata (Lindl.) W.R.Abraham
• Imantophyllum miniatum (Lindl.) Hook.
• Vallota miniata Lindl.
• Clivia miniata var. citrina W.Watson
• Clivia miniata var. flava E.Phillips
• Clivia sulphurea J.Laing
• Imatophyllum atrosanguineum B.S.Williams
• Imatophyllum barkeri C.J.Barker
• Imatophyllum miniatum var. pictum W.Bull ex J.Dix
• Imatophyllum van-houttei Hovey

• Clivia miniata f. variegata cv. Chinese Five Color Orchid
• Clivia miniata f. variegata cv. Fukurin

Description: The standard Clivia miniata is a very popular plant commonly known as the bush lily or fire lily and has orange flowers with yellow throats and wide large dark green leaves. There are several variegated cultivars that differs from the standard species for having silvery-white, cream, yellow, or pink vertical variegation. The cv 'Chinese Five Color Orchid' is one of the best new introduction, it is similar to the usual, large flowered, orange clivia except that it it has broad shiny leaves striped with various colours of white, cream, and several shades of yellow and green. It is extremely decorative even when it is not flowering. Some plants have many fine stripes while others have wide bands of cream or yellowish-white colour. The amount of variegation usually improves with age.
Clivia is related to the common Amaryllis. However, unlike Amaryllis, Clivia retains its foliage year round and is thus a valuable and decorative house-plant.
Stem: The stem is a compact rhizome which only rarely becomes aerial when plants are very old. It sucker freely and can form large clumps if left undisturbed.
Roots: Swollen, succulent.
Leaves: 50 mm to 90 mm wide. Up to about 1 metre in length (or more)
Flowers: Small to large and trumpet-shaped with broad overlapping tepals. The inner tepals are usually broader than the outer tepals. The normal colour of the flowers is orange with a yellowish-white throat.
Blooming season: Spring to summer, once the flowers are mature which will be in approx 3 years.
Fruits: The seeds are carried in berries which can have from 1 to more than 20 seeds in a berry, although less than 10 is the norm.

Cultivation and Propagation: Clivias are outstanding houseplant; easy to grow, need little care and flower late winter.
Exposure: Be aware that full sun will burn the leaves. They need some shade and require far less sun than most flowering plants. They will grow well under trees, on the north side of your house, in a shaded area in the greenhouse or in rooms of your house that receives indirect light or curtain filtered light.
Soil: Clivias should be potted in a rich, but well well-drained soil (for example: peat, fine pine bark mulch and lava great ) a pH 5.5-6.5 best suits them. The soil should never become soggy or water sodden, but should drain well even when watered often.
Repotting: Clivias bloom and perform best when allowed to become rootbound, so don’t overpot them in a pot that is too large, they really love being crowded in a pot, so leave them undisturbed for many years. When you repot your clivias place one or more small, empty pots upside down on the bottom of the container will enhance drainage. Do not plant them too deep! The roots should be covered with only a 0,5 cm of soil.
Watering: Regular irrigation is beneficial.
Feeding: Use balanced slow release fertilizer, every three months, but any complete fertilizer will do.
Temperature: If they are kept at room temperature and watered year round they will grow into lovely plants, but they will not flower. Inducing them to flower is easy. In the Fall and Winter keep them cool 10° C. Keep them dry to interrupt the growth cycle and initiate bud formation. Do this from November until January giving water about once a month. Then water less sparingly until flower buds appear after which they can be displayed anywhere. They are a very welcome sight in late Winter. Once your plant blooms the first time, it will usually bloom about the same time each year.
Pruning: Remove old leaves and stems.