Common name: Amaryllis Lily
Botanical name: Hippeastrum hybrid Family: Amaryllidaceae (Nargis family)
Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars
of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to tropical and
subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the
Caribbean. Some species are grown for their large showy flowers. These plants
are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, which is an African genus,
in the same family. "Hippeastrum" is Latin for "horseman's star" (also known
today as "knight's star") and was chosen in 1837 by the Honorable Reverend
William Herbert, Dean of Manchester. No one is entirely sure why he picked
this name although buds on the verge of opening do look something like a
horse's ear and clearly the blossoms do resemble six-pointed stars. Colors
include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations
on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals. Some
flowers have uniform colors or patterns on all six petals while others have
more pronounced colors on the upper petals than on the lower ones.
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