Frank Reinelt: From Master Begonia Breeder to Succulent Hybridizer
Frank Reinelt (1900–1979) was a renowned hybridizer who left his mark on 20th-century horticultural history. He was born into a miller's family in the Moravia region of what is now the eastern Czech Republic. From a young age, he helped his mother cultivate flowers and was captivated by the begonias he saw on his way to school. Records show that he began working at a nursery at 14 and showed a strong early interest in "hybridization" and "selection," even attempting to propagate plants from discarded wreaths.
After World War I, he studied at a horticultural and agricultural institution in Brno, Moravia, and later trained in Bohemia and Romania. His experience working as a gardener for Queen Marie of Romania indicates that he accumulated advanced horticultural skills and experience from a young age. In the 1920s, he moved to the United States and began working in California. One of his motivations for emigrating was his desire to meet the legendary hybridizer Luther Burbank, but unfortunately, Burbank passed away during Reinelt's journey, and the meeting never happened.
He subsequently became involved with the Vetterle brothers' nursery around Capitola, California. From the 1930s onward, Reinelt became a central figure in the company's hybridization efforts and was eventually welcomed as a partner. Capitola, with its frequent fog, strong light without direct sunlight, and maintained humidity, was an ideal location for floriculture. By the 1950s, this region became known as the "Begonia Capital of the World" and is also known for hosting a long-running Begonia Festival.
Frank Reinelt's greatest achievements were in the breeding of tuberous begonias and delphiniums. He is credited with developing a wide variety of double begonia flower forms, including rose, camellia, frilled, and picotee types, and expanding the color range from pure white to deep crimson. Some of his flowers reportedly reached 10 inches (approximately 25 cm) in diameter. These achievements were more than mere "improvements"; they were a virtual reconstruction of the tuberous begonia. For delphiniums, he created the "Pacific strain," and his own writings recount his long struggle to achieve clear blue colors. His flowers received high acclaim, earning awards from multiple horticultural societies, and there are records of prominent figures purchasing them.
Interestingly, Reinelt transitioned to the world of cacti and succulents in his later years. A 1969 newspaper article clearly states that he had left his partnership and planned to move to Nevada to undertake "cactus and succulent breeding." It also mentions plans to transport approximately 50,000 plants and build an air-conditioned greenhouse. While one might wonder if air conditioning is necessary for cacti in a desert climate, the article explains that many of the succulents and cacti he worked with originated in the high altitudes of Mexico and South America. This indicates that Reinelt's involvement with succulents was on a substantial scale, not merely a hobby.
Indeed, in the succulent field, several Echeveria hybrids are recorded as being bred by Frank Reinelt. For example, Echeveria ‘Elaine’ is believed to be a cross between E. colorata ‘Lindsayana’ and Pachyphytum oviferum and was distributed as ISI 867 in 1974. Echeveria ‘Frank Reinelt’ is a cross between E. agavoides ‘Prolifera’ and E. colorata, recorded as being circulated as ISI 1467 in 1984. Additionally, E. agavoides ‘Maria’, Echeveria ‘Blue Bird’, ‘Blue Curls’, and ‘Blue Waves’ are also introduced as Reinelt's creations. However, it is also pointed out that for these varieties, names may have been swapped in circulation across different regions, or parental lineage information may have been inaccurately transmitted, indicating that this is a field prone to confusion in cultivar names.
Frank Reinelt was an internationally recognized master of begonia breeding, and in his later years, he delved into the hybridization and selection of succulents, leaving an important name in the history of Echeverias. He was a breeder who, across genres from floriculture to succulents, maintained the ambition to "create more beautiful and superior plants."
Frank Reinelt Related Cultivar List
A. Echeveria (Inter-specific crosses and selections)
1) Echeveria ‘Frank Reinelt’
- Originator: Frank Reinelt (Capitola, California)
- Distributed: ISI 1467 (1984)
- Parentage: E. agavoides ‘Prolifera’ × E. colorata
- Characteristics: Large rosette / Offsetting / Reddish leaf color
- Certainty: ★★★★★ (Described with ISI number + UCBG number)
2) Echeveria ‘Maria’
※Former notation: E. agavoides ‘Maria’
- Originator/Selector: Frank Reinelt
- Distributed: ISI 92-45
- Parentage: E. agavoides × (plant Reinelt called ‘Prolifera’)
- Characteristics: Large green plant / Red leaf tips / Cold hardy (approx. -10℃)
- Note: The true identity of ‘Prolifera’ is unknown, so Echeveria ‘Maria’ is considered the appropriate classification.
- Certainty: ★★★★★ (ISI number + detailed notes)
3) Echeveria ‘Blue Bird’
- Originator: Frank Reinelt
-
Parentage (Correction available):
The parentage listed in "Echeveria Cultivars,"
E. cante × E. desmetiana ‘Subsessilis’, is incorrect.
E. colorata × E. desmetiana is highly probable. - Characteristics: Thick glaucous leaves / Stem slowly elongates with growth
- Certainty: ★★★★☆ (Originator clearly stated, parentage estimated)
4) Echeveria ‘Blue Curls’
- Originator: Frank Reinelt
- Relation: Sister seedling of ‘Blue Waves’
- Note: It is possible that the names ‘Blue Curls’ and ‘Blue Waves’ are reversed in Europe.
- Certainty: ★★★☆☆ (Originator clearly stated, name confusion exists)
5) Echeveria ‘Blue Waves’
- Originator: Frank Reinelt (Capitola, California, USA)
- Synonym: In New Zealand, ‘Desert Queen’ (Echeveria Cultivars)
- Relation: Sister seedling of ‘Blue Curls’
- Note: Possible name reversal in Europe.
- Certainty: ★★★☆☆ (Originator clearly stated, name confusion exists)
6) Echeveria ‘Black Prince’
- Originator: Frank Reinelt (Capitola, California)
- Parentage (old description): E. shaviana × E. affinis
- Source: Abbey Garden distribution list
-
Note (Important):
The ‘Black Prince’ currently in circulation is said to not match the old description.
It is possible that the original hybrid was lost, and the name was given to another dark-colored Echeveria. - Certainty: ★★★☆☆ (Originator clearly stated, but discrepancies with currently circulating plants)
B. Intergeneric Crosses (Not Echeveria)
7) ×Pachyveria ‘Elaine’
※Sometimes marketed as “Echeveria ‘Elaine’”
- Originator: Frank Reinelt (California)
- Distributed: ISI 867 (1974)
- Parentage: Echeveria colorata ‘Lindsayana’ × Pachyphytum oviferum
- Classification: Pachyphytum × Echeveria (Intergeneric cross)
- Certainty: ★★★★★ (ISI number + parental information available)
C. Names that include "Frank Reinelt" but are not his creations (Dedication, synonym, confusion)
8) Graptopetalum ‘Frank Reinelt’
- Reality: Treated as a synonym for Graptopetalum / ×Graptoveria ‘Victor Kane’
- Origin: Listed in a catalog (1987/88) as a name dedicated to Frank Reinelt.
- Originator: Not Frank Reinelt himself
- Certainty: ★★★★☆ (Synonymy in literature is clear)
9) ×Graptoveria ‘Victor Kane’
- First published: J.C. van Keppel (1980)
-
Parentage (re-evaluation):
Since the flowers are star-shaped and resemble Graptopetalum,
a Graptopetalum hybrid such as
G. amethystinum × G. paraguayense ssp. paraguayense is considered appropriate. - Note: Leaf color and red spots on petals vary greatly with the season.
- Certainty: ★★★★☆ (First published literature + subsequent verification)
10) Graptopetalum ‘Purple Haze’
- Originator: Steve Jankalski
- Parentage: G. paraguayense ssp. paraguayense × G. superbum
- Note: Often confused with ‘Victor Kane’ (which is confused with ‘Frank Reinelt’)
- Certainty: ★★★★★ (Originator and parentage clearly stated)
