From wikipedia:
“Amaryllis is a monotypic genus of plant also known as the Belladonna Lily or naked ladies. The single species, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape. It is often confused with Hippeastrum, a flowering bulb commonly sold in the winter months for its ability to bloom indoors.
“The botanic name Amaryllis is taken from a shepherdess in Virgil’s pastoral “Eclogues,” from the Greek ἀμαρύσσω (Latin amarysso) meaning “to sparkle.”
“As a flower symbol it has come to mean “Dramatic”.
“It is used as a given name for females. The plant is also known as the “Jersey Lily” after Lily Langtry.”
This poem seems apt:
Amaryllis
by Connie Wanek
“A flower needs to be this size
to conceal the winter window,
and this color, the red
of a Fiat with the top down,
to impress us, dull as we’ve grown.
“Months ago the gigantic onion of a bulb
half above the soil
stuck out its green tongue
and slowly, day by day,
the flower itself entered our world,
“closed, like hands that captured a moth,
then open, as eyes open,
. . .”
–concluded at the poet’s site–