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Amaryllis is a genus of plant also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies.

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 cold climates and eventually die down by late spring. The bulb is then dormant until late summer.

In late summer each bulb produces one or two leafless stems 30-60 cm tall, each of which bear a cluster of 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers at their tops. Each flower is 6-10 cm 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 red, 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 species was introduced into cultivation at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

The botanic name Amaryllis is taken from a shepherdess in Virgil's pastoral "Eclogues," from the Greek ἀμαρύσσω (Latin amarysso) meaning "to sparkle."

As a flower symbol it has come to mean "dramatic".

The plant is also known as the "Jersey Lily" after Lily Langtry.

Source: Wikipedia

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