Garden Alphabet: Amaryllis

These lovely Amaryllis appear each year in my garden — which is one of the main reasons I love bulbs so much. After a bit of initial effort, they simply return again and again. In this case, I didn’t even have to plant these the first time, as the previous owners of the house had installed them long before we arrived. This makes them almost the perfect plant in that regard — all the benefit, but none of the work. 

Garden Alphabet: Amaryllis | A Gardener's Notebook with Douglas E. Welch

Amaryllis

“Amaryllis (pronounced /ˌæməˈrɪlɨs/[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.” — Wikipedia.org

 
More information on the Orchidaceae:

Previously in Garden Alphabet:

Read more on this topic:

  1. Photos: My Amaryllis over the years
  2. Garden Alphabet: Acanthus
  3. Garden Alphabet: Freesia
  4. Garden Alphabet: Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)
  5. Garden Alphabet: Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale)