Phygelius key and descriptions
| 1a | Flowers yellow; flower stems green | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| b | Flowers not yellow; flower stems bronze to reddish brown (at least on exposed side) | 3 |
| 2a | Flowers arranged in a one-sided inflorescence | aequalis 'Yellow Trumpet' |
| b | Flowers arranged around the stem in a branched inflorescence | x rectus 'Moonraker' |
| 3a | Individual flowers held more or less horizontally, swept backwards along their flower stalks to face the stem | 4 |
| b | Flowers not held horizontally and usually pendulous | 6 |
| 4a | Flowers orange; flower stems bronze flushed (on exposed side) | capensis orange |
| b | Flowers red; flower stems dark red-bronze (on exposed side) | 5 |
| 5a | Leaves with very narrow white margin | capensis 'Caborn Flame' |
| b | Leaves without a narrow white margin | capensis |
| 6a | Flowers pink, cerise or dusky pink | 7 |
| b | Flowers red or orange | 10 |
| 7a | Flowers cerise pink | aequalis 'Sani Pass' SENSATION |
| b | Flowers pink or dusky pink | 8 |
| 8a | Flowers pink held out from the stem at about 45°; plant small, usually under 75cm tall | x rectus 'Pink Elf' |
| b | Flowers dusky pink, plant over 75 cm tall | 9 |
| 9a | Individual flowers usually hanging more or less vertically from flower stalk in a one sided but loosely branching inflorescence | x rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' |
| b | Flowers usually arranged in a one-sided dense inflorescence; flowers not pendulous | aequalis 'Trewidden Pink' |
| 10a | Flowers pale orange | x rectus 'Salmon Leap' |
| b | Flowers red | 11 |
| 11a | Flowers bright red; buds dark bright red; calyx purplish-red; petals reflexed | x rectus 'Devil's Tears' |
| b | Flowers bright orange red; buds orange-red; calyx green flushed bronze; petals barely reflexed | x rectus 'African Queen' |
Descriptions
P. aequalis 'Trewidden Pink' AGM 1999 H3-4 Typical of plants found in cultivation under a number of names and similar to plants collected in the wild as P. aequalis. Several cultivar names are found in catalogues but the plants including 'Pink Trumpet' could not be distinguished from 'Trewidden Pink' in the trial. Flowers pale dusky pink arranged on rather short flower stalks in a rather dense one-sided inflorescence. Petal lobes not reflexed. Plant to about 60cm tall, stems red tinged, calyx usually green.
P. aequalis 'Sani Pass' Sensation A cerise pink form of the species was found wild in 1990 at Sani Pass in the Drakensburg mountains of Natal in South Africa. It is protected by Plant Breeders Rights. Plant to about 60cm tall, stems red tinged, calyx usually green.
P. aequalis 'Yellow Trumpet' AGM 1997 H3-4 A yellow flowered form of the species found growing wild in Mawahqua Mountains in SW Natal, South Africa in 1973. Plant to about 80cm tall, stems and calyx green Plants sold as 'Cream', 'Cream Delight', 'Albus', 'Aureus' and 'Golden Gate' could not be distinguished from this cultivar.
P. capensis AGM 1993 H3 The red-orange flowers are arranged in an open inflorescence around the stem on long flowers stalks, pendulous in bud but held horizontally and turned back through 180° to face the main stem of the inflorescence when open. The lobes of the petals are reflexed. Plant to about 1m tall, stems reddish-brown on exposed sides, calyx green flushed bronze. The cultivar mentioned in the literature as 'Coccineus' with brighter red flowers could not be traced and it has probably been lost to cultivation. All those obtained under this name and grown in the trial appeared to be identical to the species.
P. capensis 'Caborn Flame' The very narrow white marginal variegation on the foliage was not pronounced on plants in the trial and is seen best early in the season. The variegation was first noticed as a sport in the garden of Margaret Easter in 1990. In all other respects the cultivar resembles P. capensis.
P. capensis orange This plant differs from the species only in the orange coloured flowers. An orange flowered form of the species collected for the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh from Lesotho had similarly coloured flowers and may be the original source of the plant grown in the trial.
P. x rectus 'African Queen' AGM 1997 H3-4 (syn. 'Indian Chief') This was the first hybrid between P. aequalis (with dusky pink flowers) and P. capensis (with scarlet flowers) which was made in 1969 by John May of Wimborne Botanic Garden. Plants of this cross have the taller habit of P. capensis with the clusters of flowers arranged in an open inflorescence. The flowers are a slightly less orange shade of red than the species and are held more or less vertically rather than horizontally. Plant to about 100cm tall, stems and calyx green slightly flushed red-purple on exposed side. A redder flowered sport of 'African Queen' which appeared in Royal Botanic Gardens, Logan is not dissimilar to 'Devil's Tears' in flower colour but the flowers are slightly brighter, the calyx is a more purplish bronze and the stems a brighter red. This sport appeared to be very unstable in the trial and quickly reverted back to 'African Queen'.
P. x rectus 'Devil's Tears' AGM 1997 H3-4 A backcross made by Peter Dummer of Hillers Nurseries in 1985 between P. capensis and P. rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' resulted in this plant and 'Salmon Leap'. 'Devil's Tears' has sometimes been sold as P. capensis 'Coccineus' but the flowers hang more or less vertically, not held horizontally as in this species. They are also somewhat shorter and broader and are a deeper red with dark red buds. Plant to about 120cm tall, stems and calyx green and strongly flushed dark reddish brown on exposed side. This cultivar had the darkest flowers of all the trial entries.
P. x rectus 'Moonraker' A backcross between P. aequalis 'Yellow Trumpet' and P. rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' resulted in this plant and 'Pink Elf'. The cross was made in 1985 by Peter Dummer of Hilliers Nurseries. The more or less pendulous flowers are the yellow of 'Yellow Trumpet' but borne in a looser inflorescence around the stem. Plant to about 90cm tall, stems and calyx green. It will usually flower for a second time after the main flush.
P. x rectus 'Pink Elf' A backcross between P. aequalis 'Yellow Trumpet' and P. rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' resulted in this plant and 'Moonraker'. The cross was made in 1985 by Peter Dummer of Hilliers Nurseries. It has a dwarfer habit than other cultivars of P. rectus and although the pink flowers are arranged around the stem, they are held at an angle of 45°. It is also less vigorous and best treated as a tender plant. Plant to about 60cm tall, stems and calyx green with slight purple-brown tinge.
P. x rectus 'Salmon Leap' AGM 1997 H3-4 A backcross between P. capensis and P. rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' resulted in this plant and 'Devil's Tears'. The cross was made by Peter Dummer of Hilliers Nurseries in 1985. The open flowers, in an loose somewhat one-sided inflorescence, are orange-red and tend to turn back towards the stem as they open but not through 180° as in P. capensis. Plant to about 120cm tall, stems and calyx green flushed dark red on exposed side.
P. x rectus 'Winchester Fanfare' (occasionally grown as 'Winton Fanfare'). This cultivar is the result of a cross made in 1974 between P. aequalis 'Yellow Trumpet' and P. capensis by Peter Dummer of Hilliers Nurseries. It is closer to P. aequalis in its shorter habit and the flowers arranged on one side of the inflorescence but the inflorescence is more open and the flowers which hang vertically are a brighter, deeper dusky pink with petals which are slightly reflexed. Plant to about 90cm tall, stems and calyx flushed purplish brown on exposed side.