Amaryllis belladonna not Lycoris
Paul Tyerman (Fri, 17 Sep 2004 05:00:05 PDT)

At 03:22 17/09/04, you wrote:

I grow lots Amaryllis belladonna and they bloomed several weeks earlier
than this did. They're also much larger and have a strong, sweet, almost
candy-like scent, and they have many blooms per scape and much taller
scape stalks. They do so well here that they will naturalize without any
additional watering or care. I got this bulb from Van Bourgondien a few
years ago. Are you saying that those were not Lycoris? This is not like
any Amaryllis that I've ever seen either. I wonder what it could be.

Lee,

I'd definitely call it an Amaryllis belladonna as well. I have belladonnas
that range from 12-18 inches in height to around 3 foot or more.....
flowers range dramatically in size and colouration as well. Also depending
on whether involving multiflora breeding they can have a few flowers all
facing the same way, or 25 or more flowers facing in a full circle. So
there is a LOT of variability in belladonnas!! <grin>

Your pic looks a lot like my "miniature" which has smaller flowers than the
"normal" belldonna and much smaller leaves. Looking at the leaves they're
so much smaller than the belladonnas, but the flowers are much closer to
normal size. If my form is around then I am sure that there would be
others with smaller leaves and quite probably smaller flowers.

Hopefully this is of some help?

Cheers.

Paul Tyerman
Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9

Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Trilliums, Cyclamen,
Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Oxalis, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just
about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!