Hippeastrum

Herbert

Appendix, 31. 1821.

Common names: Barbados-lily naked lady red spider-lily
Etymology: Greek hippeus, rider, and astron, star, the allusion obscure
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 282. Mentioned on page 55.

Herbs, perennial, scapose, glabrous, from globose bulbs. Leaves few, basal; blade liguliform, fleshy, parallel-veined, margins entire, apex tapering. Scape hollow. Inflorescences umbellate, bracteate; bracts 2, scarious. Flowers spreading to slightly drooping, syntepalous; perianth connate proximally, funnelform to campanulate, with minute corona reduced to small crown inserted on throat of tube; tepals 6 in 2 whorls of 3, outer slightly shorter than inner; stamens inserted on perianth tube, declinate, subequal; filaments slender; ovary inferior, ellipsoid; style slender, ca. equaling tepals; stigma capitate or slightly 3-lobed. Fruits capsular, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds few to many.

Distribution

c America, West Indies, South America, w Africa.

Discussion

Species ca. 75 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

None.