Amaryllis Family

Amaryllis Family - Amaryllidaceae

African Lily Agapanthus praecox

Introduced from South Africa as a garden ornamental. Widely planted on the inhabited islands and bordering on invasive in some areas, especially on the dunes at the southern end of Tresco. Flowers July to early September. Flowers rich blue but sometimes white. Flowers held in large clusters in a rounded ball at the top of a leafless stem that grows up to a metre in height. Leaves long-linear, not keeled, forming evergreen clumps from a tuberous rhizome.


Habit	Habit	Flowers	Flower


White form	Flower	Leaves	Leaf tip

Spring Starflower Ipheion uniflorum

(Tristagma uniflorum) Introduced from South America as a garden ornamental. Recorded from St Mary's and St Agnes. Flowers April to May. Flowers lilac-tinted, becoming white with age. Leaves arising from a garlic-scented bulb, long-linear, slightly keeled, more or less evergreen. Plants spread easily to form extensive colonies once established.


Habit	Flowers	Flower	Leaves

Belladonna Lily Amaryllis belladonna

(Jersey Lily) Introduced from South Africa and recorded as an escape from cultivation on St Mary's, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin's. A much larger-flowered plant than the narrower-petalled Nerine species.


Habit	Flowers	Flowers	Flowers

Flower buds	Fruits

Guernsey Lily Nerine sarniensis

Introduced from South Africa and recorded as an escape from cultivation. Flowers salmon-pink, red or white. The long, well-exposed style and stamens are all more or less straight.


Flowers	Flowers	Flowers	Flowers

Flowers	Flower buds	Flower bract	Leaf detail

Bowden's Lily Nerine bowdenii

Introduced from South Africa as a garden ornamental. Recorded from St Mary's in 2009 and perhaps elsewhere, since the New Flora has a photograph of this species under the header for Guernsey Lily. Flowers late September to early November. Flowers usually brilliant pink but sometimes white. The long, well-exposed style and stamens are strongly recurved towards the tip. Grows from single bulbs that eventually produce close clusters of bulbs which often stand proud of the soil surface.