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Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria (syn. Alstremeria ), commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas , is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity, one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants while those of Brazil are summer-growing. All are long-lived perennials except A. ( Taltalia ) graminea , a diminutive annual from the Atacama Desert of Chile.

The genus was named for the Swedish baron Clas Alströmer (Claus von Alstroemer) by his close friend Carolus Linnaeus. The plant was first described by the French botanist Louis Feuillée. The plant's seeds were among many collected by Alströmer on a trip to South America in 1753.

The plants are distinctive vegetatively, with a rootstock consisting of a slender rhizome or group of rhizomes (the "crown"). Storage roots consist of sausage-like water storing structures "suspended" from the rhizome by major roots. In this way the root system resembles that of dahlias. Above-ground shoots may be very short in some alpine Andean species (a few cm tall) or up to about 1.5 m tall in other species. Each year (more often in some hybrids) up to 80 new shoots are produced from the rootstock and each terminates in an umbel of a few up to 10 or so flowers.

Perhaps the most fascinating- and telltale- morphological trait of Alstroemeria and its relatives is the fact that the leaves are resupinate, that is, they twist from the base so that what appears to be the upper leaf surface is in fact the lower leaf surface. This very unusual botanical feature is easily observed in the leaves on cut flowers from the florist.

The flowers of Alstroemeria are generally showy and appear to be suited to pollination by bees (?). All six tepals ( tepal denotes either petal or sepal when both are similar, as in lilies, amaryllis, etc.) are roughly similar. In some species two tepals are enlarged and vividly colored and act as "flags" for pollination. The ovary is inferior and the seeds are hard and rounded.

See also Bomarea , the other major genus in the Alstroemeriaceae. They are essentially twining alstroemerias (though some species are upright), with most species occurring in the Andes.

Alstroemeria aurea - Lily of the Incas.
Alstroemeria aurantiaca - Peruvian Lily (synonym of Alstroemeria aurea
Alstroemeria caryophyllaea - Brazilian Lily
Alstroemeria haemantha - Purplespot Parrot Lily (synonym of Alstroemeria ligtu subsp. ligtu )
Alstroemeria ligtu - Lily-of-the-Nile
Alstroemeria psittacina - Lily of the Incas, White-edged Peruvian Lily (synonym of Alstroemeria pulchella , L.]
Alstroemeria pulchella - Parrot Lily, Parrot Flower, Red Parrot Beak, New Zealand Christmas Bell

More Information About The Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria (syn. Alstremeria), commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering plants.

Alstroemeria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alstroemeria: Common names: alstroemeria, Peruvian lily, Inca lily Description: The main stems of these cut flowers are 2 to 3 feet long and branch into four to six short pedicels ...

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