The Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna) is a flowering bulb in the Amaryllidaceae family. It is also known as the Naked Lady, the Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily, Amarillo, and March Lily. Although it is called a lily due to its flower shape, it is only distantly related to the true lily, the Lilium.
It is native to South Africa.
The Amaryllis is a bulb, measuring 5-10 centimetres (2-4 inches) in diameter. It has several green leaves arranged in two rows. Each bulb produces one or two leafless stems 30–60 centimetres (12-24 inches) tall, each of which bears a cluster of 2-12 funnel-shaped flowers. Each flower is 6–10 centimetres (2–4 inches) in diameter.
The flower is white with crimson veins, but pink or purple also occur naturally.
The bulb is dormant until late summer. It blooms in March in the Southern Hemisphere.
Photographed in Adelaide, Australia, March 2018.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
MARTINA NICOLLS