''Ismene'', or Peruvian daffodil, is a genus of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
n plants in the
Amaryllis family. The species are native to
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
and widely cultivated elsewhere as ornamentals because of their large, showy flowers.
''Ismene'' produces tender perennial bulbs bearing a strong resemblance to those of ''
Hymenocallis
''Hymenocallis'' (US) or , p. 76 (UK) is a genus of flowering plants in the amaryllis family native to the Americas.
''Hymenocallis'' contains more than 60 species of herbaceous bulbous perennials native to the southeastern United States, Mex ...
'', a genus into which ''Ismene'' had often been grouped in the past. However, its morphology differs from ''Hymenocallis'' in several significant ways: its vegetative parts, natural range, and chromosome number are all distinct.
''Ismene'' can be difficult to grow in the United States.
[Howard, Thad M. ''Bulbs for Warm Climates''. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 2001, pp 98–99.]
Species
A list of ''Ismene'' species and their geographic distribution is given below.
[
*'' Ismene amancaes'' (Ruiz & Pav.) Herb – western ]Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene hawkesii'' (Vargas) Gereau & Meerow – Cusco
Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department.
The city was the cap ...
, Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene longipetala'' (Lindl.) Meerow – southwestern Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, northwestern Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene morrisonii'' (Vargas) Gereau & Meerow – Apurímac, Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene narcissiflora'' (Jacq.) M.Roem. – south-central Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene nutans'' (Ker Gawl.) Herb. – Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene pedunculata'' Herb. – Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene ringens'' (Ruiz & Pav.) Gereau & Meerow – Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene sublimis'' (Herb.) Gereau & Meerow – La Libertad, Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*'' Ismene vargasii'' (Velarde) Gereau & Meerow – Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
Hybrids
* ''Ismene'' × ''deflexa'' Herb. (''I. longipetala'' × ''I. narcissiflora)'' – Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
Phylogeny
It is closely related to '' Leptochiton'' and ''Hymenocallis
''Hymenocallis'' (US) or , p. 76 (UK) is a genus of flowering plants in the amaryllis family native to the Americas.
''Hymenocallis'' contains more than 60 species of herbaceous bulbous perennials native to the southeastern United States, Mex ...
'', from which it separated 26.14 million years ago. The separation of ''Leptochiton'' and ''Hymenocallis'' occurred 24.46 million years ago.[Meerow, A. W., Gardner, E. M., & Nakamura, K. (2020)]
"Phylogenomics of the Andean tetraploid clade of the American Amaryllidaceae (subfamily Amaryllidoideae): unlocking a polyploid generic radiation abetted by continental geodynamics."
Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 582422.
References
External links
International Bulb Society's gallery of photographs
Amaryllidoideae
Amaryllidaceae genera
Flora of Southern America
Taxa named by William Herbert (botanist)
{{Amaryllidaceae-stub