Amaryllis Belladonna Naked Ladies
by PainterArtist FIN
Title
Amaryllis Belladonna Naked Ladies
Artist
PainterArtist FIN
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
This gorgeous flower has many identities: Belladonna Lily, Naked Ladies, or Belladonna Amaryllis. This plant produces green, leafy
growth that emerges in spring and dies back by mid summer. In late summer, leafless stems produce elegant, pink flowers. (Amaryllis
belladonna)
This article is about a genus of southern African bulbs. For the winter-flowering houseplant commonly called "amaryllis", see
Hippeastrum. For other uses, see Amaryllis (disambiguation).
Amaryllis
Amaryllis in full bloom in a graveyard in Cape Town, South Africa in early March.
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Amaryllis
L.
Species
Amaryllis belladonna L.
Amaryllis paradisicola Snijman
Amaryllis (pronounced /ˌĉməˈrɪlɨs/[1]) is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis
belladonna, is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River
Valley to Knysna.[2] For many years there was confusion amongst botanists over the generic names Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, one
result of which is that the common name "amaryllis" is mainly used for cultivars of the genus Hippeastrum, widely sold in the winter
months for their ability to bloom indoors. Plants of the genus Amaryllis are known as belladonna lily, Jersey lily, naked lady, amarillo or,
in South Africa, March lily due to its propensity to flower around March. This is one of numerous genera with the common name "lily"
due to their flower shape and growth habit. However, they are only distantly related to the true lily, Lilium.
Amaryllis belladonna flowers
Amaryllis is a bulbous plant, with each bulb being 510 cm in diameter. It has several strap-shaped, green leaves, 3050 cm long and
23 cm broad, arranged in two rows. The leaves are produced in the autumn or early spring in warm climates depending on the onset of
rain and eventually die down by late spring. The bulb is then dormant until late summer. The plant is not frost-tolerant, nor does it do
well in tropical environments since they require a dry resting period between leaf growth and flower spike production.
From the dry ground in late summer (March in its native habitat and August in USDA zone 7) each bulb produces one or two leafless
stems 3060 cm tall, each of which bears a cluster of 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers at their tops. Each flower is 610 cm diameter with
six tepals (three outer sepals, three inner petals, with similar appearance to each other). The usual color is white with crimson veins, but
pink or purple also occur naturally. The common name "naked lady" stems from the plant's pattern of flowering when the foliage has
died down[3]
In areas of its native habitat with mountainous fynbos flowering tends to be suppressed until after bush fires as dense overhead
vegetation prevents growth. In more open sandy areas of the Western Cape, the plant flowers annually.[2]
The plant has a symbiotic relationship with Carpenter bees. It is also visited by noctuid moths at night. The relative importance of these
animals as pollinators has not yet been established[2] however on the Cape Peninsula it is thought that Carpenter bees are the plant's
main pollinators. The plant's main parasite is the lily borer[4] Brithys crini and/or Diaphone eumela.
Plants tend to be very localized in dense concentrations due to the seeds large size and heavy weight. Strong winds shake loose the
plants seeds where they fall to ground and start to germinate immediately aided by the first winter rains.[2]
Taxonomy
The name Amaryllis is taken from a shepherdess in Virgil's pastoral Eclogues, from the Greek ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso), meaning "to
sparkle".[5]
The taxonomy of the genus has been controversial. In 1753 Carl Linnaeus created the name Amaryllis belladonna, the type species of the
genus Amaryllis. At the time both South African and South American plants were placed in the same genus; subsequently they were
separated into two different genera. The key question is whether Linnaeus's type was a South African plant or a South American plant. If
the latter, Amaryllis would be the correct name for the genus Hippeastrum, and a different name would have to be used for the genus
discussed here. Alan W. Meerow et al. have briefly summarized the debate, which took place from 1938 onwards and involved botanists
on both sides of the Atlantic. The outcome was a decision by the 14th International Botanical Congress in 1987 that Amaryllis L. should
be a conserved name (i.e. correct regardless of priority) and ultimately based on a specimen of the South African Amaryllis belladonna
from the Clifford Herbarium at the British Museum.[6]
Common name[edit source | editbeta]
Although the 1987 decision settled the question of the scientific name of the genus, the common name "amaryllis" continues to be used
differently. Bulbs sold as amaryllis and described as "ready to bloom for the holidays" belong to the allied genus Hippeastrum.[7] The
common name "naked lady" used for Amaryllis is also used for other bulbs with a similar growth and flowering pattern; some of these
have their own widely used and accepted common names, such as the resurrection lily (Lycoris squamigera).
Cultivation
The species was introduced into cultivation at the beginning of the eighteenth century. They reproduce slowly either by bulb division or
seeds and have gradually naturalized from plantings in urban and suburban areas throughout the lower elevations and coastal areas in
much of the West Coast of the USA since these environments mimic their native South African habitat. Hardiness zones 6-8.[8]
There is an Amaryllis belladonna hybrid which was bred in the 1800s in Australia. No one knows the exact species it was crossed with to
produce color variations of white, cream, peach, magenta and nearly red hues. The hybrids were crossed back onto the original Amaryllis
belladonna and with each other to produce naturally seed bearing crosses that come in a very wide range of flower sizes, shapes, stem
heights and intensities of pink. Pure white varieties with bright green stems were bred as well. The hybrids are quite distinct in that the
many shades of pink also have stripes, veining, darkened edges, white centers and light yellow centers also setting them apart from the
original light pink. In addition, the hybrids often produce flowers in a fuller circle rather than a "side facing" habit like the "old
fashioned" pink. The hybrids are able to adapt to year round watering and fertilization but can also tolerate completely dry summer
conditions if need be.
A. belladonna has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9]
Amaryllis belladonna has been crossed in cultivation with Crinum moorei to produce a hybrid called × Amarcrinum,[10] which has
named cultivars. Hybrids said to be between Amaryllis belladonna and Brunsvigia josephinae have been called × Amarygia,[11] Neither
hybrid genus name is accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.[12] Info from Wikipedia.
Photo by painterartistFIN at wholisticartsschool.com
All Artworks are originals by the Artist and as such are Protected by US and International Copyright Laws, all rights reserved
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August 13th, 2013
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