It never ceases to amaze me how these old time primary hybrids keep turning up. The Cym. Evening Star cross (Balkis x
pumilum) was registered in 1961. That is almost 60 years ago! Many varieties were awarded point scores and many were meristemmed by Rod McClellan Nurseries in San Francisco, CA. They lack the form and concentrated coloring of the newer hybrids but they seem to just keep growing and multiplying. That said, 'Pinkie' was awarded a cultural award of 87 pts. by the AOS in 2005 with an average of 15 flws per stem.
Flower count on most Evening Stars should be in that range, even though the racemes tend not to get much higher than the top of the leaf tips, ironically, the shorter stemmed type preferred in Japan today. Perhaps that is why they are showing up again, as some of the newer breeding with this line has been done in Japan.
Enjoy an old/new favorite
Cym. Maureen Carter (
sinense x Sleeping Beauty)is a more recent hybrid, having been registered in 1996. The fragrance of many of the clones due to the Cym.
sinense parent, the clarity of the color and its fairly compact size, undoubtedly contribute to its popularity.
CL