Amazon Lily

Amazon Lily ( Illustration )

The Amazon lily, also heart chalice ( Eucharis amazonica ) is one of about 17 species in the genus Eucharis from the family of Amaryllis ( Amaryllidaceae ).

Distribution and location

The home of Amazon Lily is located in northwestern Peru in a relatively narrow region in the valley of the Rio Huallaga near Moyobamba and Tarapoto (ie not in the Amazon itself). There she thrives in the shady understory of the rain forest at altitudes between 500 and 1500 m. Today it is cultivated as an ornamental plant worldwide in the tropics, in the temperate zones and in a greenhouse or as a houseplant.

Description

The Amazon Lily is an evergreen, clump -forming Geophyt; their onions measure 3.5 to 6 cm in diameter. This spring 2 to 4 dark green and glossy leaves, the stem length (15 - ) is 25-35 (-50 ) cm. The eilanzettliche leaf blade (20 - ) 30-40 (-50 ) cm long and (10 - ) 12-18 cm wide. The perfumed, sweet- scented, white flowers with six tepals are at 4-8 at the end of a shaft and reach 6-9 cm in diameter. They look waxy and are relatively durable. The stamens are fused at the base to a side crown. The main flowering period is December to March and July / August.

Systematics and chromosome number

The Amazon lily is often, but erroneously performed under the scientific name Eucharis grandiflora. A distinction is, however, Eucharis x grandiflora, a natural hybrid (probably between Eucharis Eucharis moorei and sanderi ).

The fact that the Amazon Lily while propagated vegetatively by bulbils, but so far no viable seeds have been described, suggesting, together with the very limited home range, that all plants form a single clone.

The Amazon Lily has 2n = 68 chromosomes.

Ingredients

Add onions and leaves blooming Amazon lily 13 different alkaloids were detected; including three for the first time in a natural source ( 7- Methoxyoxoassoanin, 6-O- Methylpretazettin and Apohaemanthamin ).