One of the many treats of visiting my mother for a few weeks, this August, in Oakland California, as all the amazing gardens I enjoyed in the neighborhood where we stayed, historic Haddon Hill, just above Lake Merrit. Northern Californians love drought resistant and dramatic front yards these days, that front lawn is long gone, replaced by a wonderful variety of plants that require much water, as water is scarce and residents do their best not to waste it! What I have noticed in Northern California in general, is that if there are certain plants that do well in any given neighborhood, many jump on the same bandwagon and plant the same thing, which actually is quite lovely and gives a nice consistency. One such plant, that happened to be in full bloom during our visit is called Amaryllis Belladonna, and wow is it ever spectacular! The flower blooms on long stalks with no leaves and the fact that it is a bulb that blooms in August is altogether quite interesting! I was also intrigued to learn that this flower is an amaryllis, as I'm only familiar with the big red ones that bloom in the spring, or even better are forced for enjoyment in December!
I was very happy to see that bulbs for amaryllis belladonna are for sale locally here in Israel, so I may just have to give it a try, though I highly doubt it would bloom here in August, the hottest month of the year, hmmmm, so when then? Okay, I'm going to look into that, keep on reading for more lovely photos and info!
Really truly lovely, and so very sculptural!
Amaryllis belladonna, the Jersey lily, belladonna-lily, naked-lady-lily, or March lily, is a plant species native to Cape Province in South Africa, where the plants are found growing among rocks. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in many places: Corsica, Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Scilly Isles of Great Britain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ascension Island, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Chile, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan and the Juan Fernández Islands.
Amaryllis Belladonna is a perennial bulbous geophyte with one to two erect solid stems which appear in late summer. The inflorescence bears 2–12 showy fragrant funnel-shaped flowers on a 'naked' (leafless) stem, which gives it the common name of naked-lady-lily. The pink flowers which may be up to 10cm in length, appear in the autumn before the leaves (hysteranthy) which are narrow and strap shaped.
Leaves of A. belladonna begin growing in early spring, or during late autumn. They last for a few weeks to a few months until they wither away, and a flower stalk will begin growing. When found in the wild, Amaryllis belladonna is pollinated by hawk moths and carpenter bees. The flower has a long-tubed, pale perianth, which fully expands at night. This flower will then release a sweet fragrance, that contains acyclic terpenoid alcohol, linalool and abundant nectar, that attracts pollinators to it. A. belladonna seeds are soft and fleshy, and appear white or pinkish. They are dispersed through wind dispersal during the winter time. This is to coincide with the first winter rain (in South Africa) during March, and April. Seeds will germinate in as early as two weeks, but will not develop into a fully flowering plant until three to six years later.
So truly stunning, hard to believe they are real!
Hope you've enjoyed this look at Amaryllis Belladonna, growing in many front yards in the historic Haddon Hill neighborhood in Oakland, California.
