''Zephyranthes candida'', with
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...
s that include autumn zephyrlily, white windflower,
[ white rain lily,] and Peruvian swamp lily, is a species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of rain lily
''Zephyranthes'' is a genus of temperate and tropical plants in the Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to the Western Hemisphere and widely cultivated as ornamentals. Following the expansion of the genus in ...
native to South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
including Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
, Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, Paraguay
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, and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The species is widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in many places (South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
, the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
, Zimbabwe
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, Seychelles
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, central and southern China, Korea
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, Nansei-shoto
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(Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...
), Bhutan
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, Solomon Islands
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, Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Nauru
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, Tonga
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, Society Islands
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, Mariana Islands, southeastern United States
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(from Texas
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to North Carolina
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), the Lesser Antilles
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, and Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
).
Leaves are a deep glossy green and measure 3 mm wide. Flowers, which bud late in August (when propagated in the Northern Hemisphere) at first resemble a new leaf, but emerge from their papery sheaves to a stunning whiteness; they are erect in perianth white and sometimes pinkish abaxially. The leaf-like bract is 1.8 to 4 cm. They grow best in full sun to part shade and require a medium wet soil. Propagation is done by dividing bulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs du ...
s or offsets and from seed.[Herbert, William. 1826. Botanical Magazine 53: pl. 2607, ''Zephyranthes candida'' ](_blank)
/ref>[Lindley, John. 1823. Botanical Register 9: pl. 724, ''Amaryllis candida'' ](_blank)
/ref>
''Zephyranthes candida'' was first described by John Lindley
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...
in 1823 as ''Amaryllis candida''. It was transferred to its current genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
in 1826 by William Herbert. Other common names of ''Zephyranthes candida'' include August rain lily, white zephyr lily, white fairy lily, white rain lily, and autumn zephyr lily.
Cultivation
Hardiness: USDA zones 7-10.
Chemical constituents
It contains lycorine
Lycorine is a toxic crystalline alkaloid found in various Amaryllidaceae species, such as the cultivated bush lily ('' Clivia miniata''), surprise lilies ('' Lycoris''), and daffodils (''Narcissus''). It may be highly poisonous, or even lethal, w ...
, nerinine, haemanthamine
Haemanthamine is a crinine-like alkaloid from the Amaryllidaceae
The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name f ...
, tazettine, haemanthidine, zephyranthine.
See also
* List of plants known as lily Lily usually refers to herbaceous plants of the genus ''Lilium'', with large showy trumpet-shaped flowers. Many species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Many other plants not closely related to lilies are called lilies, usually because their flowers ...
References
External links
Efloras.org
IPNI Listing
Kew Plant List
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3240203
candida
Plants described in 1823
Garden plants
Flora of Brazil
Flora of Argentina
Flora of Paraguay
Flora of Uruguay