Subject: Re: Amaryllis belladonna or Lycoris [squamigera]

From: "Sean A. O'Hara" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 16:15:31 PDT

> From: [email-masked] (Farooq Butt)
> Newsgroups: rec.gardens
> Subject: Amaryllis Belladonna or Lycoris Belladonna
> Date: 17 Mar 1995 10:29:15 -0600
> Just bought a chubby bulb of what was listed as Amaryllis Belladonna.  
> It is supposedly fragrant and has beautiful faint purple trumpet 
> flowers that look like, well, amaryllis.  I looked up some 
> horticultural books (Neil Sperry's book on Texas Gardening) and it 
> seemed to be calling the same plant a Lycoris Belladonna.  Which 
> one is it ? How hardy are these ? How big a clump do they form and 
> should I be using one fat bulb to a 15" azalea pot or more ? 

Farooq - 

There is much confusion over the distinction between Amaryllus belladonna
and Lycoris squamigera (there is no L. belladonna) in some people's
minds.  I think this problem is mainly caused by the fact that each plant
prefers to grow in a different climate, so you don't generally see them
side by side.  They are rather similar in appearance, but they are clearly
very different plants.  Both are called Naked Ladies because of the way
they bloom without leaves.  Below is an old item I posted on this topic
quite a while ago on another discussion group.  I hope it is of some help.
If not, let me know.
 
 H O R T U L U S   A P T U S  ('gardens', 'suited to their purpose')
 Sean A. O'Hara
 710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA  94610-1459        [email-masked]
 (510) 987-0577

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on Fri, 18 Sep 1992, I said:
>and it is often confused with Lycoris squamigera (Amaryllus halli),
>which is more delicate, hardy (you might try it to), less
>fragrant(?), with longer more spidery stamens, and more blue in the
>pink.  I often see photographs of one with the caption of the other!

on Mon, 21 Sep 1992, Beverly Erlebacher said:
>These things may be even hardier than you think.  I just got the
>bulb catalog from Aimers' in Aurora, Ontario (not far north of
>Toronto, and they list it ($7.95 each!).  They do recommend that
>you grow it at the foot of a south-facing wall here.
 
on Wed, 23 Sep 1992, Jon Singer said:
>I seem to recall that _Lycoris_squamigera_ is another plant known
>as "Naked Ladies", . . .
 
on Thu, 24 Sep 1992, Nancy said:
>Does anyone know what the difference is between Lycoris Squamigera
>and A. Belldonna is?  They look awfully similar to me and everyone
>I have ever asked beore has been unable to give me a good answer.

When I was in Orchard Supply Hardware this morning, I was looking
over the bulbs for sale to see if there was anything unusual being
offered.  Low & Behold, I found a small box of loose bulbs labeled
A. belladonna, containing smooth skinned bulbs (sort of like a
daffodil) about 4-5" tall and 3-4" wide.  Clearly these are not the
plant we know under that name, whose bulbs are at least twice as
large, often more, and are covered with dirty looking thin, limp,
papery layers.  I believe than was they were selling was actually
Lycoris squamigeria, again confused with the other.  These bulbs
look very much like other Lycoris bulbs I have seen for sale, and
similar to the Nerine I grow in my garden.  I purchased a bulb to
try (for $1.59 Beverly!), and I'll report next fall how things go,
but I'm convinced this is correct.
 
I suspect that Beverly also bought one of these mis-labeled bulbs,
which is in fact much hardier then the real A. belladonna.  They are
different plant though and require slightly different situations.
Here is a letter I wrote to Fine Gardening Magazine concerning this
sort of mixup in one of their articles.  It contains a description
of each and how they are distinguished from each other:
 
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I enjoyed reading the article 'A Garden in Four Seasons', by Gay
Bumgarner, in your Sept/Oct Issue.  I think seasonal interest is all
too often neglected in garden designs.
 
Unfortunately, I believe she is using the wrong name for the fall
blooming 'surprise lilies'.  Those pictured blooming along the
beautiful shaded woodland path are actually Lycoris squamigera
sometime also incorrectly called Amaryllis halli).  While they look
somewhat like Amaryllis belladonna (the name she has used), the
difference would be clear if they were seen side by side (see
drawings included).
                                 [sorry I can't E-Mail my drawings!]
 
To give Gay her due, I have seen this mixup in many catalogs and
reference books.  I make myself very unpopular because I insist on
pointing out these errors whenever I find them.  I feel it is
important to consider the differences between commonly confused
plants.  In this case:
 
Amaryllis belladonna - This bulb comes from South Africa.  Here in
California, it has naturalised itself throughout the state, enjoying
the long dry period in summer when it is dormant, and not minding
our irratic (and infrequent) rain the rest of the year.  In August,
naked 3' stems (hence the common name 'naked ladies') appear
suddenly, carrying many very fragrant, drooping, large pink trumpets
(like Easter lilies).  There are various selected forms available,
from deep pink, through bicolor pink & white, to pure white.  It
perfers a poor, dry exposed soil, and doesn't bloom well in shaded
loam.
 
Lycoris squamigera - From Japan, this more dainty looking plant is
hardier than the Amaryllis.  The slender 2' stems hold the open pink
trumpets in a more generally upright position.  This plant is not as
common in California, and does not seem as easily suited to the
climate, perfering instead more regular water during it's growing
season.  It also flowers here a little later than the Amaryllis, and
they are not as fragrant.  From Gay's article, it seems to thrive in
a partially shaded position, in rich soil.
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