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Amaryllis
Amaryllis is a small genus of bulbous flowers with two species, best known as Amaryllis belladonna, the belladonna or March lily from South Africa's Western Cape. Grow it in well-drained soil in full sun, and expect flowering after dry summers.
Amaryllis () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It 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 and Knysna.
For many years there was confusion among 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.
Amaryllis belladonna was introduced into cultivation at the beginning of the eighteenth century. It reproduces slowly by either bulb division or seeds and has gradually naturalized from plantings in urban and suburban areas throughout the lower elevations and coastal areas in much of the West Coast of the US since these environments mimic their native South African habitat. Hardiness zones 6–8. It is also naturalized in Australia.
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.
Amaryllis belladonna is toxic to humans and to domestic animals, including dogs, cats, and horses. In animals, poisoning usually follows ingestion of the plant, particularly the bulbs. The toxic effects are associated with alkaloids, especially lycorine; several phenanthridine alkaloids have been identified in its leaves, stems, and bulbs, with the bulbs consistently described as the most hazardous part of the plant. In humans, ingestion is reported to cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, and tremors. In animals, reported signs include vomiting, excessive salivation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, respiratory difficulty, ataxia, seizures, and hypotension after larger exposures.
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. Plants tend to be very localized in dense concentrations due to the seeds' large size and heavy weight. Strong winds shake loose the seeds, which fall to ground and immediately start to germinate, aided by the first winter rains.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Amaryllis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
