Talk:Amaryllis

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I don't know what's changed since 1911, but my mother and grandmother have both had amaryllis for as long as I can remember and, though this entry says "This is a half-hardy bulbous plant, producing in the spring a number of strap-shaped, dull green leaves, 1-1 1/2 ft. long, arranged in two rows, and in autumn a solid stem, bearing at the top a cluster of 6-12 funnel-shaped flowers," etc.

  1. I've never seen it produce more than 4 flowers per stem, and frequently it produces only 2 (usually depending on the age & health of the plant) and
  2. They do not always and only produce one stem; the older and larger ones can produce two stems, though usually the bulb grows to nearly the size of a grapefruit before that happens. So anyway. I've changed the text accordingly, leaving the upper limit which may indeed be the case though I've never seen it.
  3. They are not always "of a rose color" (and what would that mean, anyway, since roses are not always red?) I'm not sure which genus it is my family has, but since it is sold in flower catalogs (and even at wal-mart, etc.) as "amaryllis" I defend my use of the term.  :-) Anyway. So I'm off to change that too.
  4. They are not always fragrant. --Koyaanis Qatsi

Koyannis Qatsi, your plants are actually Hippeastrums, not Amaryllis. The old information from what I gathered from your comment was mostly correct for the true Amaryllis. 'Rose' is usually understood to be a specific color- a light pink color although some disagreement on the specific shade happens. :) (the true Amaryllis flower does come mainly in a light pink color, solid white mutations have showed up in cultivation, and darker pinks and reds have been introduced through hybridization with, if I remember correctly, Crinum species and probably other species too. As of right now, those color variations and hybrids are not common though)

There is a huge misnaming mess, of both common and botanical names, amongst Amaryllis, Lycoris, Hippeastrum, and to a lesser extent, Nerine species. Most notable is the misnaming of Hippeastrums as 'Amaryllis'. This particular mixup is so widespread and ingrained even stores and nurseries who know better continue to sell Hippeastrums as 'Amaryllis' as that is what a large portion of their customer base know of them as. --Kaalnek

The image here is NOT an Amaryllis. A naked lady is Not an example Hippeastrum.

The best info I've found, along with accurate photos, is at Planting and Care Also Rochester Gardening Godinof 01:48, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

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[edit] Amaryllis or Hippeastrum blooming in April

I have had my Amaryllis for 1 1/2 years. It is now the middle of April, and it is in full bloom. I have 2 stems. One has 6 flowers, and the other has 4.

Is this unusual? It did not flower this past Christmas, but did bloom twice the Christmas before. I find it unusual that it is Easter and in full bloom

^^^^Sherry Canary

[edit] entretien de l'amaryllis pouvez vous m'aider

on m'a offert une amaryllis pour noel. elle a fleuri et maintenant elle est defleurie. je voudrais savoir ce qu'il faut faire. faut il couper les fleurs ou les fleurs et les feuilles ? continuer à l'arroser? etc etc —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 90.1.164.171 (talk) 15:58, 15 January 2007 (UTC).

[edit] monotypic?

I'm surprised this genus is monotypic - have the other species been reclassified to Hippeastrum? MidgleyDJ 09:48, 3 March 2007 (UTC

citing the german wikipedia:
Anschließend an die Aufspaltung wurde die Gattung lange Zeit für monotypisch gehalten, mit der Belladonnalilie als einziger Art. Erst im Jahr 1998 wurde von der Botanikerin Deirdré A. Snijman mit Amaryllis paradisicola eine zweite Art beschrieben.
Translated to english (i'm german):
since the split this genus has long been thought to be monotypic, with Belladonna Lily as the only species. Until recently in 1998 the botanist Deirdré A. Snijman described a second species: Amaryllis paradisicola
maybe someone with better english than me can fix this in the article? :) Aditu (talk) 21:23, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia?

It looks like clarifying the name confusion and latin classification is being called trivia. Or was the trivia already removed? In any case, the name confusion around genus Amaryllis, and broad use of the popular name Amaryllis, is important content. It's counter-intuitive to anyone shopping at Wallmart, Home Depot, or any plant nursery in the United States. It runs counter to the naming in the nursery industry. FourerDR 22:54, 5 September 2007 (UTC)hi!!My name is James.