Last year, I wrote about how the amaryllis belladoonna is the flower my mother associates with my upcoming birthday (September 4) because it blooms around that date in Southern California where I was born (Burbank, to be exact). And about how the autumn crocus blooms on my birthday here in Seattle.
And here it is, a week before my birthday. I love how ghostly the flowers look as they emerge from the ground, almost more like mushrooms than flowers in their fleshiness which is probably why they are also known as naked ladies, just like the amaryllis belladonna.
2 comments:
Happy Birthday, Waverly!
Belladona is such an interesting flower visually. Plus it has a long history with magic, because of its hallucinogenic properties. What I just learned from the Wikipedia entry on belladonna is that it is related to potatoes, tabacco, and even chili peppers! I had no idea all of these plants were nightshades:
It is in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which it shares with potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, jimsonweed, tobacco, and chili peppers. In addition, Solanum nigrum is also called Deadly nightshade.
Namaeste,
Maria
from the marshes of Maryland
Maria--
Yes, belladona is a fascinating plant. I'm going to look for it in my neighborhood--it should be producing berries by now.
But it's not the same plant as the Amaryllis Belladonna, which is a single genus (one species) plant and a member of the Amaryllidae family. I got my information about the Amaryllis belladonna on Wikipedia too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllis
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