TIIE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
199 
a red flower. This became known as the Jacobma Lily, 
and was figured in the B< tanical Me gcizine (t. 47) as 
Amaryllis formosissima. This Jacobaea Lily is now cata¬ 
logued ns Sprekelia formosissima, having been so named 
Amaryllis Vitata. 
by'the German botanist Ileister, in honor of Dr. Sprckei, 
and not, as is generally supposed, by Dean Herbert, who 
however, adopted it and thereby sanctioned it. The 
plant has been of late years met with in Guatemala, but 
its native habitat was long unknown. It appears to have 
been introduced to Spain before the year 1593, in which 
year, according to Linnaeus, it began to be known gene¬ 
rally in Europe. 
Linnaeus classed as Amaryllis a number of plants that 
have since been separated under other generic designa¬ 
tions. But he made considerable progress, nevertheless, 
towards a clear definition, preparing the way thereby 
for the labors of Dean Herbert half a century subse¬ 
quently. This good churchman devoted to these plants 
an immensity of labor in determining distinctive char¬ 
acters, raising hybrids, and reducing to order all the 
Amaryllids known in his time. The first publication of 
his views occurred in the Botanical Magazine in the 
year 1820, under the description of Amaryllis reticulata 
(t. 2,113). These views were illustrated in a remarkable 
manner in a paper on “ The Production of Hybrid Vege¬ 
tables,” published in “ The Transactions of the Horticul¬ 
tural Society in the year 1822. In a treatise on the order 
published subsequently, he developed a complete system 
of classification, one result of which was to give to 
Amaryllis Belladonna, otherwise known as the Eella- 
donna Lily of the Cape of Good Hope, the sole honor of 
representing the classic beauty Amaryllis. The South 
American plants thatare nearest allied to the Belladonna; 
were classed under Bippeastrum, this generic designa¬ 
tion being in reality adopted from Linnaeus, who had at 
least supplied the idea. It is necessary here to be ex¬ 
plicit. In the “ Paradisus Batavus” of Paul Hermann, 
published 1098, is a description of a plant called LAlinm 
americanum puniceo, the red American Lily. This 
plant Linnaeus named Amaryllis equestris, and it is so 
entered in the “ Hortus Kewensis,” and under the same 
name is figured in the Botanical Magazine of the year 
1795 (t. 305) and the Botanical Register, 1817 (t. 234). 
The flower of this species is somewhat irregular in foim, 
and the spatha of two leaves stand up like a pair of ears, 
and thus, according to story number one, the specific 
name equestris refers to a fancied resemblance of the 
flowers to the head of a horse. But story number two 
alters the case. In a description of the lovely Amaryllis 
reticulata, by Dr. Sims, in the Botanical Magazine of 
the year 1803 (t. G57), the learned editor says, “ We take 
this opportunity of correcting a mistake of the late Mr. 
Curtis, iu saying that Linnaeus gave the name equestris 
to the Amaryllis referred to as such. Tne fact is, this 
name was given from the remarkable likeness'the front 
view of it has to a star of comd of the orders of knight¬ 
hood.” Thus the Hon. and Rev, William'Herbert fol¬ 
lowed out the suggestion of Linnaeus when he'made a 
