CobquecuraStone Bread. Unique apricot, salmon pink. Salmon pink tone, also considered apricot. The color changes from pink at the end of the stem to slightly red at the opening. This plant obviously originates in Cobquecura and was acquired from the Larenas family. It is reclassified by the author as pink, as in current catalogues it is considered a dyed white.
RayenSoft pink flower. Large, wide flower whose pink tone is barely noticeable during the colder months. Noteworthy class. Delicate pink. The color is almost white in hot climates. With the arrival of the colder months in early autumn, the edges of the flower’s opening turn a delicate pink. Leaves
Colibri
Ongol (Angol). Salmon pink flower. Striking and new. It is the author’s favorite color and is the only one that is truly different from the original white and red. The plant is very productive and its flowers are medium-sized and orangish-pink in color. Honestly recommendable.
PurenBright pink leaning towards red. This variety was lost by El Vergel but was recovered by the author from a collector, Mr. Manuel Alberto Carrera (RIP), and acquired from his widow, Mrs. Juana Rivera. This couple has played a role in preventing the extinction of this variety, for which the author is very grateful.
CheuquecuraVery soft pink, very large and uniform flower. This variety has not been widely propagated and is rarely available at El Vergel.
Eric Jr.Large pink flower. Its distinctive feature is that it opens widest of all, forming a perfect bell, and has longer petioles than other varieties. Named in honor of the author’s son, Eric, who is also a great plant enthusiast.
LigtromuWhite Cloud, the smallest and narrowest of the three pure white copihues.
El Vergel. Original plant from Manuel Bunster’s El Vergel in 1919. Hardy and bearing many flowers, it adapts easily to different environments.
AlcapanPure White. Large, thick-petaled flower. Larger, thicker, more open flowers than those of number 1 but smaller than those of number 13. Leaves
ToquiChief of Chiefs. Pure white. Long, large flower. Very beautiful. It is the longest of all the white flowers. Remarkable size.
ColcopiuCommon red copihue. The inner petals have white mottling. El Vergel describes it as “common” though its quality is noteworthy and is much larger and more intensely red than the wild variety.
RamillaGolden Flower. Creamy white or ivory flower with a slight green tinge. It occasionally has small spots of light red. This plant originates in Cobquecura and was acquired from the Larenas family. The flower remains green for quite some time before opening, then turns yellow and finally ivory.
NahuelbutaBig Lion, white with the inner petals dyed with a spattering of purple. A variety easily distinguished from the others, it belongs to the dyed white subgroup. One of the three plants that originated at Manuel Bunster’s El Vergel in 1919. Very dark purplish-grey stalk.
CatalinaA white flower with red dots on its entire surface. The dots are very small and sometimes form clusters. Medium-sized flower, abundant production. Variety acquired from Mr. Erich Grollmus, who obtained it from the Grollmus mill in Contulmo. The plant is named after the author’s daughter, Catalina Paz Chait Plaza, also a plant lover.
CollingueRed Cheek. White with mostly red mottling, and a little purple, on the petals’ edges. Very small flower, very vigorous plant, most productive (flowers) of all the varieties. This plant originated in Cobquecura and was acquired from the Larenas family. It belongs to the white dyed family. Flowers range between 6.7 and 7.5 cm long, with slightly brighter coloring at the opening. White with bright lavender, especially on the inner petals, red mottling on the outer petals. Slightly curly leaves.
RelmutralWaterfall Rainbow. White with red border. Large flowers with some ,,,,,,,, at the opening, white stained with red on the edges of the petals, particularly the outer ones. This may be the most sought after coloration. This plant originates in Cobquecura and was acquired from the Larenas family. It belongs to the dyed white family.
ContulmoBull’s Blood. Intensely red flower, most intense of the flowers known of to date. Medium-sized flower. Acquired from the Grollmus family in Contulmo. It belongs to the red family.
Quelpichum(Lapageria dissimilis). Pale red flower. Its distinctive feature is its 8-19 petals, as all other varieties have 6 petals. Some may in time produce flowers with 12 to 19 petals. It originates at Hacienda Tumbes in Talcahuano and was acquired from the Sweet family by Mr. Elbert Reed. The author took a trip to Parque Tumbes and discovered that the CONAF (National Forestry Corporation), which manages the park, was unaware of the existence of this particular variety of copihue and showed no interest in it. It is very difficult to acquire as El Vergel has not carried it in many years. Some fruit have a longitudinal lift along their entire length. The plants are quite fertile as their flowers produce fruit, and these in turn produce seeds that have healthy germination. The pollen is also fertile as, when other flowers with a normal number of petals are target pollinated, these flowers bear fruit and seeds that are also fertile. The author currently has three-year-old plants that will in time show whether the multipetal trait is hereditary or not, as well as color. The author’s flowers have been pollinated with white and their pollen has pollinated white flowers.
Caupolicán(Precious Stone) Very large flower. Very vigorous plant. The size of its flower makes it a show-stopper for any garden. The flower is extremely wide and is the most fleshy of all the varieties, though its color is not very intense.
MallecoLarge bright red flower with large, glossy leaves. Very intensely red flower, slightly lighter than the Ox Blood, but much shinier and larger. Very beautiful.
Norma Irisvery large, red flower. Longer than all the reds and whites, it puts the white number 13, Toqui, in second place for size. The flower is a medium intensity red, exuberant and eye-catching. The external petals remain green for a long time before turning red, which then curl at the tips. Acquired from Mr. José Pradenas, who does not recall its origin. The plant is named after the author maternal grandmother, Norma Iris Guitart Verdugo, who inspired the author to love plants. She also gave the author his first book on copihues, written by Erich Maack.
El VergelFlesh pink, bred at El Vergel, soft color. Hybrid developed by the head gardener.
The pigments that give the copihue its distinctive red color have been identified as anthocyanin (mainly ciandine-3-O-ramnosilglucoside and ciandine-3-O-glucoside) (Vergara et al. 2009). Anthocyanin has significant bioactivity that positively affects human health. For example, berries rich in anthocyanin have been shown to reduce the growth of cancer cells (Olsson, 2004; Katsube et al., 2003) and inhibit low-density lipoprotein and liposome oxidation (Heinonen et al., 1998). Anthocyanin also demonstrates high reactive oxygen species sequestering activity (Wang and Jiao, 2000). This pigment possesses farmacological properties and biological functions, among which are anti-inflammatory traits and antioxidants (Kong et al., 2003).
The antioxidant properties of the red copihue’s petals are a factor that sets our products apart. Studies conducted at the Pontífica Universidad Católica de Chile’s Laboratorio de Nutrición Molecular PAM CHILE found total ORAC dry base antioxidants (umoles TE/g) of 783.51 +- 64.38.
In other words, edible red copihue petals are an excellent source of healthy antioxidants.
This is only one of the many health benefits of our products as their preparation includes other native fruit and spices.
