Amaryllidaceae

The Amaryillis family is a very large family.   The leaves are narrow and entire.  The flowers are perfect, regular, with six stamens. The ovary is inferior and three-celled.  In our area, the family is represented by Hypoxis (star grass).  Otherwise, ornamental types are:  Narcissus (daffodil); Agave (century plants); Leucojum (snowflakes); Galanthus (snowdrops) and Amaryllis.  Daffodils are common ornamentals and several varieties exist.
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Narcissus pseudo-narcissus. - daffodil.  This species has medicinal value.

 

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The Amaryllis is gorgeous, comes in a variety of colors and mixes of colors, comes up from a bulb, is easily cultivated, and will grace any indoor situation, no matter where in a house, with some long lasting beauty.

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Snowflakes belong to the genus Leucojum.  They do well from spring into summer.  The bell-like flowers are draped gracefully off the apex of the shoot.

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Galanthus is the "snowdrop" genus.  Note the inferior ovary.  These are some of the first plants that can come up in early spring.  This is why they are so popular in the area.

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The genus Agave is quite large, and some would put it in its own family, or sometimes in the Lily family.  The common name is 'century plant.'  It is a common ornamental of warm climates, as in this habitat taken at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research in St. George's, Bermuda.

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This is called belladonna, or the surprise lily.  It is Lycoris squamigera.  It flowers late in the season, starting and August and moving into September.  The flowers appear at the top of a naked stem.  Leaves will be formed from the base of the stem.  This is an example of the scapose habit.

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This scene was photographed on Paradise Island, Nassau, the Bahamas.  It was taken in August of 1967.  There is a row o f century plants (Agave) interspersed with Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia)  This tree is quite popular in Florida and the off islands as a windbreak.  Movie buffs might recognize this scene, which was used a few times in the movie Thunderball, the third of the James Bond movies starring Sean Connery.

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Efforts were made to place some pretty daffodils in the Shrum Garden.  A typical grouping is shown to the left.  Below are some of the varieties.

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