Carol, Mary Sue, and all, As Myke has pointed out, Hippeastrum is the accepted botanical name now for plants whose origins go to South America. The so-called "Dutch Amaryllis" hybrids are all Hippeastrum hybrids. In the vernacular around the world, many people refer to commercial Hippeastrum hybrids as "amaryllis," while the botanical name Amaryllis denotes a genus endemic to Africa. For clarity, most of us prefer the botanical names. Vernacular or common names vary not only from language to language, but (in English at least) from country to country; and within the USA, it can vary from region to region. For example, my "Naked Lady" is Lycoris squamigera here in the Midwest. In the UK it might be a Colchicum. In California, it would be an Amaryllis or a Brunsvigia. I have heard plants in Lycoris referred to in various parts of the USA as "Surprise Lily," as "Hurricane Lily" as well as "Naked Lady." Common names are ambiguous at best, misleading at worst. Botanical names are certainly not perfect, but they will always lead you eventually to a specific kind of plant. Best regards, Jim Shields in central Indiana (USA) ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA