Honouring the Lotter Legacy in Clivia Breeding
Preserving the Lotter Legacy
The late Wessel Lotter and his son, Rudo, were among the pioneering breeders to produce truly exceptional interspecific Clivias. From my very first visit to Rudo’s garden, seeing those interspecifics in full flower left a lasting impression on me. I immediately fell in love with their beauty and uniqueness, and over the years I was fortunate to collect many of their remarkable clones.
After Rudo’s passing, I made it my mission to preserve and continue the Lotter legacy by securing as many plants from their collection as possible. My aim has been not only to build on their extraordinary colour range, but also to improve plant form — particularly by refining the long, narrow foliage for which many Lotter plants are known, while introducing more compact growth and stronger overall substance.
Building a New Generation
As most growers understand, each new generation in Clivia breeding can take six years or more to mature, especially in interspecific lines. Fortunately, Rudo’s breeding stock already offered an outstanding foundation of diverse colours and genetics, giving us the opportunity to develop hybrids with improved vigour, richer colour combinations, and more balanced foliage.
Some of the original Lotter clones used in this breeding work include Brown Eye Girl, Rosy Cheeks, Black Magic, Sunrise Surprise, Cinderella, Gingerbells, and Warmheart — all important stepping stones in the development of these new hybrids.
Over the years we have flowered many exciting new hybrids using Lotter plants as both pod and pollen parents. Although some of these plants are known to be reluctant seed setters, their pollen fertility has proven exceptional — particularly in famous cultivars such as “Warmheart.”
First Results from the New Hybrids
Among the results are several exciting first-generation hybrids that already show significant advancement in colour, flower form, vigour, and plant structure.
“Artemis” (Horizons × Brown Eye Girl), first flowered in 2024, is an unusually coloured interspecific with larger blooms, stronger wider foliage, and improved flower count compared to the original. “Radiant Girl” (Amazon × Brown Eye Girl) displays a vibrant versi-colour with stronger structure, improved flower shape, and a much fuller head of flowers.
A compact hybrid of Rosy Cheeks × Ember Spirit shows a much stronger versi-colour while maintaining the appealing flower shape of the original, combined with shorter leaves and more compact growth. Another hybrid, Rosy Cheeks × Rob interspecific, produces a striking dark versi-colour with reduced height and refined leaf width.
“Black Sails” (Black Magic × Secret Wish) displays enhanced versi-colour, more flared flowers, shorter leaves, and a stronger overall growth habit. Two sibling hybrids from Dreaming × Sunrise Surprise both show marked improvements in plant stature and bloom form, producing larger, more open versi-coloured flowers.
A particularly exciting recent flowering is Cinderella × Bridal Bouquet, which first flowered in 2025. It carries large soft pink flowers with a more open form on a compact sturdy plant — a significant improvement over the taller, more lanky growth habit of the original Cinderella.
Continuing the Journey
It is a privilege to share some of the beautiful new creations born from these hybrids. Each one stands as a tribute to the remarkable Lotter plants that served as stepping stones in our ongoing journey of Clivia breeding.
Please note that these hybrids are all flowering for the first time and therefore still carry relatively low flower counts compared to the original mature mother plants. Encouragingly, we have already seen flower counts improve steadily with each flowering season — a promising indication of the strength, vigour, and potential within this next generation.
