So beautiful, they’ll make you blush.

So beautiful, they’ll make you blush.

Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) are native to South Africa, but now naturalized in many areas. It’s a fun common name which refers to the “naked” look of the flowering stalk, as the flowers emerge from a bulb before the leaves. 

Sometimes referred to as a lily, they are not, however, true lilies (from the Lilium genus). The flowers are very beautiful, pink and fragrant. In the Victorian Language of Flowers, Amaryllis symbolizes “pride”. 

In traditional medicine Naked Ladies have been used for centuries for inflammation and tumors in Java and Vietnam, and among the Sotho, Xhosa, and Zulu people of South Africa. Amaryllis belongs to the subfamily Amaryllidoideae, which is known to produce interesting alkaloids with many potential applications. Investigations into the alkaloids of A. belladonna have yielded several with activities such as acetylcholinesterase inhibition, antiplasmodial, antifungal, antineoplastic and antiprotozoal activities. 

They are one of my end-of-summer/early fall favorites, when they suddenly emerge out of nowhere to produce their unabashedly beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers. 

#MedicinalPlants #Ethnopharm #Ethnobotany #amaryllis #southafrica 

Photos by Erik Ogan & Stan Shebs

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