Amaryllis belladonna

Amaryllis belladonna,[2] the Jersey lily,[3] belladonna-lily, naked-lady-lily,[4] or March lily,[5] is a plant species native to Cape Province in South Africa but widely cultivated as an ornamental. It is reportedly naturalized in many places: Corsica, Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Scilly Isles of Great Britain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ascension Island, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Chile, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Juan Fernández Islands.[6][7]

Amaryllis belladonna
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Amaryllis
Species:
A. belladonna
Binomial name
Amaryllis belladonna
Synonyms[1]

Description

Perennial bulbous geophyte with one to two erect solid stems which appear in late summer. The inflorescence bears 2–12 showy fragrant funnel-shaped flowers on a 'naked' (leafless) stem, which gives it the common name of naked-lady-lily. The pink flowers which may be up to 10 cm in length, appear in the autumn before the leaves (hysteranthy) which are narrow and strap shaped.[4][5]

Taxonomy and etymology

Amaryllis belladonna is one of the two species in the genus Amaryllis as currently circumscribed.[8]

The specific epithet belladonna is derived from the Italian bella donna, which means beautiful lady.[9] There are many common names around the world, for instance in the Azores, Portugal one name is meninas para a escola (girls go to school) referring to the flowers blooming when the girls in their pink uniforms are starting the new school year.[5]

Habitat

A. belladonna in California

In South Africa the plants are found growing among rocks.[5]

Cultivation

The bulbs are best planted just below the surface of the soil, with the neck of the bulb level with the surface. In colder climates mulching or lifting and overwintering is required. The bulbs may be propagated from offsets. Amaryllis bulbs require little watering and are drought tolerant.[5] This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4]

See also

References

  1. Amaryllis belladonna, The Plant List
  2. Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species Plantarum. 1. p. 293 via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  4. RHS 2015.
  5. Phipps 2011.
  6. "Amaryllis belladonna". Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
  7. "Amaryllis Belladona distribution map". Biota of North America Project.
  8. "Search for Amaryllis". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  9. Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3.

Bibliography

Media related to Amaryllis belladonna at Wikimedia Commons

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