Pyrolirion is a genus in the Amaryllidaceae family native to the Andes and coastal desert of Peru and Bolivia. DNA sequencing has found that it is a member of the Eustephieae tribe, sister to Chlidanthus, Eustephia, and Hieronymiella. Flowers have three spoon shaped stigmas. This plants can be reproduced by seeds and bulblets.
Pyrolirion albicans Herb. was named by Herbert in 1837 for a Peruvian species illustrated and described in 1725. It is the accepted name in Plants of the World Online. Mobot's Tropicos database list these accepted names for this species, Cooperia albicans (Herb.) Sprague and Zephyranthes albicans (Herb.) Baker. Further confusing the issue of what to call this plant, Ravenna renamed it Leucothauma albicans in 2009. We are choosing to list it on the wiki under Pyrolirion albicans. Photos by Alessandro Marinello.
Pyrolirion arvense (F.Dietr.) Erhardt, Götz & Seybold was originally identified as a yellow form of Pyrolirion tubiflorum. This species is distributed in central and southern Peru and perhaps Bolivia. It differs from the orange P. tubiflorum by the length of the perianth, which is up to 11 cm across in the upper part, the longer stamens and the lack of scent. The perianth tube is 3 cm wide. Photos by Norton Cuba Melly.
Pyrolirion tubiflorum (L'Hér.) M.Roem. was named by L'Heritier in 1789. This species can be found in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, always next to crops and in between inter - Andean valleys ranging from 300 m to 3000 m. The perianth of Pyrolirion tubiflorum is up to 8 cm across in the upper part, the perianth tube is 1.8 cm wide, mostly green and it has a mild scent. Photos by Norton Cuba Melly.
