Belladonna Lily

Scientific Name: Amaryllis belladonna

INTRODUCTION

The belladonna lily displays a cluster of pink trumpet-like flowers that adorn the top of a green or purplish stem. This showy flower is also commonly called naked lady, because the stems stand bare — the flowers and leaves of the plant do not appear together. Native to South Africa, this poisonous flower blooms later in the summer and into the fall.

INTERESTING FACTS

In the late 1800s, an English artist painted a portrait of a famous actress, named Lillie Langtry, who was born on Jersey Island, an island in the English Channel. In the painting, the actress is holding a belladonna lily, but the painting is titled “A Jersey Lily.” Since then, the lily has sometimes been called “Jersey lily.”