DIfference between lycoris and amaryllis belladonna.
Adam Fikso (Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:50:53 PST)

Hello. All of what's been said here is true, but I'd like to point out that
the flowers are quite different, even though they are similar. A.
belladonna is often shown as what you're going to get in a garden catalog
listing L. squamigera. and vs. vsa. Flowers of A. belladonna are radially
symmetrical. Flowers of L. squamigera are less so and have their petals
arranged so that the bottom outline of the flower appears to be flat across;
the six petals are arranged so that they are almost like a pentagonal
5-petalled flower, with a base wider between the two bottom petals than
between any of the otherss. Not so, for the A. belladonna. Flower
substance is greater and thicker in A. belladonna than in L. squamigera
which is thinner and sometimes with a lavender tint. Bulb sizes can get
quite large in both--up to about 5" in diameter.
Cheers, from Glenview IL USDA where there's about 5" of snow on the groune
scheduled to melt tomorrow. .