From my research notes for "Bulbs for Garden Habitats"

Amancaes

In 1835, on July 19th Charles Darwin made note in his journal, of fields of
amancaes flowering on the desert coastal hills of Peru: “On the hills near
Lima, at a height but little greater, the ground is carpeted with moss, and
beds of beautiful yellow lilies, called Amancaes. This indicates a very much
greater degree of humidity, than at a corresponding height at Iquique.”
Official emblem of the city of Lima, amancaes used to be found growing wild
on the banks of the Rimac River that flows through the city. Though there is
a district of Lima still known as Pampas of Amancaes, the places where this
flower was once so numerous are now nothing but buildings and city streets.
Club Floralíes de Lima is an organization dedicated to bringing it back.
They have created a preserve called Pachacámac, on land outside of Lima
owned/donated by the Lima Cement Company where this and other native plants
are being reintroduced.

and

My brother, an tenured professor of anthropology who did his doctoral
research in a village above Cuzco (and who speaks both Quechua and Amara)
told me of a song, a vals criollo that mentions H. amancaes. The lyrics,
approximately, go like this:

Elegantly dressed in traditional style, wearing a poncho of white linen,
Jose Antonio is an accomplished horseman, showing fine mastery riding his
horse.
Why, asks the woman, why did he leave her, hoping that when he returns
to see the amancay in bloom he will sweep her up on his horse.

Judy
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