What is Amaryllis?

Amaryllis is an ornamental perennial that produces large bell-shaped flowers. Named from the Greek amarysso to mean ‘sparkle,’ it is also known as Jersey Lily, Belladonna Lily, and collectively as Naked Ladies when found grouped together. Amaryllis is also a monotypic genus, meaning it contains a single species--in this case Amaryllis belladonna. However, amaryllis should not be confused with hippeastrum, a popular blooming plant sold during the winter holiday season that belongs to the same family. While amaryllis is native to South Africa, it thrives in some regions of the southern and western U.S. where it may be found planted in the flower garden. However, in less temperate climates, amaryllis can be grown as a potted plant, indoors or out. In fact, since the amaryllis bulb is one of the easiest to force bloom, it is often grown indoors in colder climates. Amaryllis is prized for its stunning flowers. While most range in color from white to pink and red, there are also amaryllis ...  more

Amaryllis is a monotypic (only one species) genus of plant also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies. The single species, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. It is often confused with the Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its propensity to bloom indoors. It is also known as the "Jersey Lily", named after the Channel Island, and has in turn given its name to the Jersey born actress Lillie Langtry. Please enable JavaScript to view this page content properly. setTimeout('HtmlControlJS.loadFrame(\'ctl00_IWS_WH_CPH_Content_HtmlControl1\', \'\\x3Cobject width=\\\"425\\\" height=\\\"355\\\"\\x3E\\x3Cparam name=\\\"movie\\\" value=\\\"http://www.youtube.com/v/dCfIajaOmqs\\x26rel=1\\\"\\x3E\\x3C/param\\x3E\\x3Cparam name=\\\"wmode\\\" value=\\\"transparent\\\"\\x3E\\x3C/param\\x3E\\x3Cembed src=\\\"http://www.youtube.com/v/dCfIajaOmqs\\x26rel=1\\\" type=\\\"application/x-shockwave- ...  more