Amaryllis belladonna Bulbs - March Lily, Naked Lady - Plant Now - Indigenous - NEW

Amaryllis is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is indigenous to South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. For many years there was confusion amongst botanists over the generic names Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, one result of which is that the common name "amaryllis" is mainly used for cultivars of the genus Hippeastrum, widely sold in the winter months for their ability to bloom indoors. Plants of the genus Amaryllis are known as Belladonna Lily, Jersey Lily and Naked Lady or, in South Africa, March Lily.

This is one of numerous genera with the common name "lily" due to their flower shape and growth habit. However, they are only distantly related to the true lily, Lilium. Amaryllis is a bulbous plant, with each bulb being 5–10 cm in diameter. It has several strap-shaped, green leaves, 30–50 cm long and 2–3 cm broad, arranged in two rows. The leaves are produced in the autumn or early spring in warm climates depending on the onset of rain and eventually die down by late spring. The bulb is then dormant until late summer. The plant is not frost-tolerant, nor does it do well in tropical environments since they require a dry resting period between leaf growth and flower spike production. They can however be planted in pots too and moved so their requirements are met.

From the dry ground in late summer each bulb produces one or two leafless stems 30–60 cm tall, each of which bears a cluster of 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers at their tops. Each flower is 6–10 cm in diameter with six tepals (three outer sepals, three inner petals, with similar appearance to each other). The usual color is white with crimson veins, but pink or purple also occur naturally. The common name "naked lady" stems from the plant's pattern of flowering when the foliage has died down. The bulbs must be planted with their necks at soil level. The belladonna lily can also be grown in large pots using a very porous soil mix. The bulb can also tolerate quite arid conditions.