Zephyranthes


Zephyranthes rosea


Plant Characteristics
Habit   bulbous

Lifespan: perennial
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Amaryllidaceae >

Zephranthes >



Read about Zephyranthes in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Zephyranthes (Greek, flower of the west wind). Syn. Atamosco. Amaryllidaceae. Zephyr Flower. Fairy Lily. Half-hardy tunicate-bulbous herbs, grown in the greenhouse, in window-gardens, and in the garden for summer- and autumn-blooming.

Leaves narrow, usually contemporary with the fls.: peduncle elongated, slender, hollow; spathe membranous, tubular, apex bifid: fls. white, red, or yellow, solitary in the spathe; perianth funnel-shaped, erect or slightly inclined, tube short or elongated, segms. sub- equal; ovary 3-celled: caps. subglobose, loculicidally 3-valved.—About 53 species, natives of the warmer regions of Amer. A general revision of Zephyranthes is found in Baker's Handbook of the Amaryllideae, 1888, where the following subgenera are made: Subgenus Zephyranthes proper. Fl. erect; tube short; stamens inserted near its throat. Subgenus Zephyrites. Fl. slightly inclined; tube short; stamens inserted near its throat; style more declinate than in the other two sub-genera. Subgenus Pyrolirion. Fls. erect; tube longer, dilated in the upper half; stamens inserted at the middle of the perianth-tube. For the further separation of the species, Baker uses the characters which appear in the key below, except the foliage-characters and the color of the fls. However, the genus may be readily separated into 3 sections based on the color of the fl., and this arrangement is here used as being more convenient to the horticulturist. The seasons of bloom indicated herein are those for localities where the plants will thrive outdoors the year round. For an account of bigeneric hybrids of Zephyranthes and Cooperia, see Lancaster, Journ. Roy. Hort. Soc. 38, p. 531.

The zephyr lilies must be wintered in a place free from frost, and as the best kinds are natives of swampy places it is fair to presume that they will need more moisture during the resting-period than the generality of bulbous plants. The best four species are: Z. candida (Fig. 4045), white, autumn; Z. Atamasco, white, spring; Z. carinata, rosy, summer; Z. rosea, autumn. All of these will probably survive the winter out-of-doors in the middle states if given a fair degree of protection.

Z. alba, Hort, with pure white fls. is offered in the trade.—Z. floribunda, Hort., is a trade name.—Z. sulphurea, Hort., is offered in the trade.


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