THE HIPPEASTRUM (AMARYLLIS) 



THE plants long known in gardens as Amaryllis have been in cultivation for 

 a number of years. The generic name in use before the time of Linnaeus was 

 applied to many species of plants now referred to as Hippeastrum, and to a 

 number of others, since separated under various generic designations, as Vallota, 

 Griffinia, Sprekelia, and Lycoris. 



Parkinson figured the old Amaryllis formosissima in his Paradisus at p. 71 as 

 Narcissus indicus, or the Indian Daffodil with a red flower. This plant subsequently 

 became distributed in gardens as the Jacobsea Lily, and is now botanically known 

 as Sprekelia formosissima, this name having been given by the German botanist 

 Heister, in honour of Dr. Sprekel. 



The native habitat of Sprekelia formosissima long remained uncertain, but it is 

 now known to be Mexico and Guatemala. It appears to have reached England by 

 way of Spain, and to have become generally grown in this country about the 

 year 1593. 



Of the early species in cultivation in England, Hippeastrum reginse seems to 

 have been the first. It is stated in the Botanical Magazine, t. 453, that this 

 species first flowered by Mr. Fairchild in his garden at Hoxton, in 1728, and was 

 in full beauty on March 1st, the birthday of Queen Caroline, wife of George II., 

 in whose honour it was named. 



Hippeastrum equestre, another of the early species, is said to have been 

 introduced from the West Indies by Mr. William Pitcairn in 1778. Figured in 

 the Botanical Magazine, t. 305, the Editor states that " The spatha is composed 

 of two leaves, which standing up at a certain period of the plant's flowering, 

 like ears, give to the whole flower a fancied appearance to a horse's head ; whether 

 Linnaeus derived his name of equestris from this circumstance or not, he does not 

 condescend to inform us." 



Other early species cultivated were Hippeastrum vittatum (Bot. Mag. t. 128) 

 introduced in 1788, and H. reticulatum (Bot. Mag. t. 667) in 1777 through 

 Dr. E. W. W. Gray. 



With the generic name Amaryllis that of Dean Herbert is indissolubly con- 

 nected. This enthusiastic horticulturist and Churchman laboured long at the 

 genus, and assiduously cultivated and experimented on every species of the 

 family he could procure, publishing the results of his investigations from time to 

 time in the Botanical Magazine, the Botanical Register, and the Transactions of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society. His famous collection of Amaryllids formed 

 at Spofforth, in Yorkshire, attained a world-wide reputation, and the views he 

 put forth regarding them (the first of which appeared in the Botanical Magazine 

 in 1820, t. 2117) assisted considerably towards their class definition, and formed 

 the basis of the classification adopted by botanists of the present day. 



Another collection exceptionally rich and well-cared for was that belonging 



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