Amaryllis belladonna vs Lycoris squamigera

How does one tell the difference? Although not the same genus they sure seem awfully close....what am I missing?

hmmmm, there was a discussion about that around here somewhere ....

found it!
http://davesgarden.com/t/315813/+lycoris#first

I have lycoris also. They are definitely different. The blossoms are on much shorter stalks and the blossom has narrower petals. But the main thing about lycoris is that the petals are sparkly as though they have bits of glitter.

I'd love to try the lycoris squamigera and see for myself. I just got my first Belladonna lily bulbs and can't wait to see them!

Cheri'

Cheri - I did do a search for both names in the bulbs forum and read what George said above. But I don't have both so I'm hoping there's additional differences that don't require a comparison of the two. Do you know if the bulbs themselves are different in some way that I could look for?

Thanks!

I just got some Belladonna lily bulbs, and I don't have any Lycoris squamigera. However, I do have Lycoris radiata, and the bulbs look like onions. The Belladonna lily bulbs do not. If the L. squamigera bulbs look anything like L. radiata, there should be no comparison.

Can anyone say if L. squamigera bulbs resemble L. radiata? Do your bulbs look like onions?

Cheri'

Thanks to Evert's picture http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/3392/

I'm pretty sure that I have the amaryllis belladonna.

Are you suppose to leave the tops of the amaryllis bulb sticking out of the ground like Evert has in his pots? I buried mine! &:^0

once again, I'm not real sure, as I've gotten conflicting info.

I THINK (and I use that word liberally) that in warmer climates like mine you plant them shallow. In colder climates plant deeper. I think the 'top of the bulb showing' thing is for indoors ... in the PDB Floridian says

Plant the bulbs 4 inches deep in well-drained soil and in a sunny growing area.

Mine are planted just below the surface, none of the bulb showing. I hope they do alright.

Cheri'

Right you are Cheri....shouldn't have missed that in the PDB. I put mine under about 4 inches. Did you get yours from George4Tax too?

As a matter of fact ... yes! At least some of them, the really huge ones. I had ordered 3 bulbs, to try, just before he offered his.

George's bulbs were much bigger than the ones I bought. They got the place of honor in the garden. :-)

Cheri'

I believe I had some Amaryllis belladonna bulbs that I got from my Mom last thanksgiving. I planted them up and they never survived. :) Still not sure what went wrong . . . I would like to try them again.

The Amaryllis should be planted with the neck of the bulb out of the ground if you are planning on first year blooms.

"eyes"

Eyes--thanks for the correction. I put them in about 3 weeks ago, do you think I can dig them and raise them up without causing any harm? Brenda

Or if I leave them at 4-inches below the surface will I get blooms the 2nd year? I'm Z5 if that makes any difference.

This message was edited Oct 21, 2003 7:44 PM

I'm reading October postings now on the 12th of Nov and am scared I'm too later to help with Amarillis Belladonna (Brunsvigia rosea) "Naked Lady."

No one seems to have mentioned that the big feature is the short window of time, right after bloom, to "mess with them." As the Sunset Garden Book says, "------may not bloom for several years if disturbed at the wrong time."

I will add that any time there are leaves is a wrong time, as well as after the leaves but before the 2 to 3 foot bloom stalks that come in August to bear the cluster of pink flowers. After the flowering period one plants the bulbs with their tops even with the top of the soil. Sunset mentions, as has been my experience, that they will grow in any soil, are drought resistant, very long lived and especially happy not to be often disturbed as they clump.

They are native to South Africa. There are bold strappy leaves in the fall and winter that have disappeared in the late spring and summer.

I am curious regarding the state of the leaves in a zone that gets down to 0 degrees F. Sunset mentions planting in a protected location. I have had no experience there. I wonder if in a really frigid place they are ever potted for an inner-outer plant.

By the way, If any of you have ever had bloom, even as soon as the second year from out of season planting I'd like to apologize for spreading false doctrine! DILLY

now I'm worried, because none of my Amarillis Belladonna have made leaves yet. They are supposed to make leaves in the fall??? eek.

Is everyone else's Belladonna lilies making foliage?

Cheri'

Cheri-- I never disturbed mine that I put beneath the soil (not at the surface) and I've not yet seen any leaves. Although I was planting some tulips in the same area about a month ago and inadvertantly got close to one of my Naked Lady bulbs.....it had long green shoots coming out the top. Again, I haven't seen anything break through the soil surface yet! Maybe I should have gone ahead and raised them up as Eyes suggested. Brenda

When I was planting Asiatic lily bulbs yesterday, I checked the belladonna lilies. The ones George sent are starting to put up foliage. It's just peeking out of the ground now. The smaller ones that I purchased aren't, yet. hmmmmmmmm.

Mine are pretty close to the surface. I'm hoping for the best ...

Cheri'

LANGBR,SUNDRY and OTHERS---

I hope I wasn't too scary. Glad to hear the Naked Lady bulbs are getting leaves , even in the ground. I'll bet the leaves will grow and push on out into the world. If the leaves can do it, I'll bet the bloom stalks can do it too. Even if they can't it would surely be better to mark the place before the leaves vanish and then "upper" the bulbs in planting season next fall than to do it now.

I'm hoping to find a posting late next summer to see how bloom season came out. Good luck---DILLY

I hope to be able to post pics of my Belladonna's next summer. But if I have to wait another year, I'll survive. =) Just so I don't kill them! LOL

Thanx for the info. It's good to know what to expect.

Cheri'

Well, it's late summer, and mine bloomed! The one's I got from George, anyway. They are shorter than I expected, and the flowers are smaller, but maybe it's a 'first year' thing. I keep waiting to take a pic, thinking they might look better tomorrow.

The ones I bought have not bloomed. =( They were much smaller than George's bulbs.

Cheri'

I've never seen a thing from mine, Cherí. No foliage, no stalk, no flower. :-( Maybe next year. I'll be adding some more tulips to that bed in a month or so; I may get an opportunity through inadvertant digging to see what's what. Thanks for reviving this thread!

Brenda, I'm so sorry to hear your Belladonnas didn't perform . . . but I have read that they can be pouty. If you think you planted too deep, this fall is the time to lift them up a bit. As I said, mine are planted just below the surface, maybe half an inch of dirt on top.

Here is a lousy picture of one that I cut and brought inside. I hope they do better next year. They are only two feet tall and very pale.

Cheri'

I have raised them for yrs. here in Wisc. where we see extreme temps. cold or hot.
Right now mine are blooming amongst the quack grass and weeds.

Maxine

Maxine - do you plant yours shallow too?

Brenda, I can't remember!

Will ask my son as he brought up a bunch from the farm prior to us selling the farm.

Maxine