Amaryllis

Belladonna Lily ( Amaryllis belladonna )

Amaryllis is a plant genus of the family of the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae ). The word Amaryllis (Greek Ἀμαρυλλίς ) is derived from the name of a shepherdess from the Eclogues (10 eclogues ) Virgil.

Description

Appearance and leaves

The Amaryllis is a perennial herbaceous plant. These geophytes form an onion than Überdauerungsorgan. The plants are leafless during the dry season and form only after the heyday of new leaves. The basal, alternate and arranged in two rows of five to eleven leaves are simple, narrow to wide belt- shaped, parallel-veined and entire.

Inflorescences and flowers

The upright, strong, leafless inflorescence stem is not hollow as in Hippeastrum. In a doldigen inflorescence are two to twelve flowers, the two bracts ( bracts ) are surrounded. The stalked flowers are each about a thread-like cover ( Brakteole ).

The flowers are hermaphroditic, usually slightly zygomorphic and threefold. In the two circles, the three free bracts are more or less equally diverse. There are two circles, each with three identical, fertile stamens present. The stamens may be related to their base. The anthers open with a longitudinal slot. Three carpels are fused into one under constant, dreikammerigen ovary. In each ovary chamber four to eight anatrope ovules are present. The style ends in a three-lobed stigma.

Fruit and seeds

It is formed a capsule fruit. The fleshy seed are more or less spherical, with a diameter of about 15 mm.

Chromosomes

The basic chromosome number is x = 11

Systematics and distribution

The genus Amaryllis was originally broad wide by Carolus Linnaeus as today. Beginning of the 20th century there was a splitting of this genus, with the scientific name Amaryllis was restricted to originating from the mountain region of South Africa kapnahen Belladonna Lily ( Amaryllis belladonna ). However, other types of the former wholesale genus as " Amaryllis " Colloquially, and in the plant trade today referred, in particular originating from South America Types of Knights stars ( Hippeastrum ).

Following the splitting of the genus has long been considered monotypic, with the Belladonna Lily is the only kind until the year 1998 by the South African botanist Deirdre Anne Snijman (A Record of Contributions from the National Herbarium, Union of South Africa. In Bothalia, 28 (2): 193, Pretoria) with Amaryllis paradisicola described a second type.

In the genus Amaryllis, there are two types of today. Both types are in the winter-rainfall areas of southern Africa home:

• Belladonna Lily ( Amaryllis belladonna L.)
• Amaryllis paradisicola Snijman: It thrives in the extremely arid Richtersveld.

Pictures

Amaryllis belladonna

Swell

• J. Gathe and Leslie Watson: Amaryllis in the Western Australian Flora, 2008 ( section description).
• JC Manning, Peter Goldblatt & D. Snijman: The color encyclopedia of Cape bulbs. Timber Press, USA, 2002. Amaryllis on page 62-63 (Section Description, distribution and systematics)