I'm feeling in the Pink; how about you! - A Nerine
To view more in this series, please click "here" !
Nerine is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. They are bulbous perennials, some evergreen, associated with rocky and arid habitats. They bear spherical umbels of lily-like flowers in shades from white through pink to crimson. In the case of deciduous species, the flowers may appear on naked stems before the leaves develop. Native to South Africa, there are about 30 species in the genus. Though described as lilies, they are not significantly related to the true lilies Lilium, but more closely resemble their relatives, Amaryllis and Lycoris. The genus was established by the cleric and Amaryllidaceae specialist William Herbert in 1820. Nerines have been widely cultivated and much hybridized worldwide, especially Nerine bowdenii, N. sarniensis and N. undulata (previously known as N. flexuosa). The hybrid cultivar 'Zeal Giant' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The other 20 species are rarely cultivated and very little is known regarding their biology. Many species are threatened with extinction due to the loss or degradation of their habitat. Species of Nerine are herbaceous flowering plants that grow from bulbs. Their leaves are linear, obviously flat in some species and appearing threadlike in others. Their flowers are borne in an umbel on a solid leafless stem (scape). Individual flowers are either radially symmetrical (actinomorphic) or have one plane of symmetry (zygomorphic). Each flower has six narrow red or pink tepals joined at the base to form a short extended or recurved tube. The free parts of the tepals are generally wavy. There are six stamens that are inserted in the base of the petals and frequently protrude from the flower. The stamens can be straight or curved with thin filaments and oblong anthers that attach to their filament at the back (dorsifixed). The inferior ovary has one to many ovules. The style is threadlike and has a three-lobed stigma. The fruit is a capsule. Many species of Nerine have petals with wavy edges, such as Nerine humilis. Profusion of flowers in Nerine filifolia, note the filiform leaves of this species.
Nerine species can be either evergreen or deciduous; the deciduous species can either grow during the winter or the summer. The growth cycle thus defines three groups. There is a strong association between a species' growth habit, the shape of its leaves and the amount of DNA in its cell nuclei. The largest group of 12 species contains the evergreen nerines that retain their leaves throughout the summer and winter (N. angustifolia, N. appendiculata, N. filamentosa, N. filifolia, N. frithii, N. gaberonensis, N. gibsonii, N. gracilis, N. masoniorum, N. pancratioides, N. platypetala and N. rehmannii). Their leaves are narrow and they have the smallest amount of DNA per nucleus (18.0â24.6 pg). Four deciduous species grow in the winter and do not have any leaves during the summer (N. humilis, N. pudica, N. ridleyi and N. sarniensis). They have wide leaves and more DNA per nucleus (25.3â26.2 pg). A final group of seven species only grow during the summer and have no leaves in the winter (N. bowdenii, N. duparquetiana, N. krigei, N. laticoma, N. marincowitzii, N. pusilla and N. undulata). They have wide leaves and the most DNA per nucleus (26.8â35.3 pg). The earliest published name for the genus was Imhofia, given by Lorenz Heister in 1755. The later name Nerine, published by William Herbert in 1820, was widely used, resulting in a decision to conserve the name Nerine and reject the name Imhofia. The genus name derives from the Nereids (sea-nymphs) of Greek mythology that protected sailors and their ships. When Herbert chose the name of these nymphs for the first species of the genus, Nerine sarniensis, he alluded to the story of how this South African species arrived on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel. It is said that a ship carrying boxes of the bulbs of this species destined for the Netherlands was shipwrecked on Guernsey. The boxes of bulbs were washed up on the island and the bulbs became established and multiplied around the coast.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'm feeling in the Pink; how about you! - A Nerine
To view more in this series, please click "here" !
Nerine is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. They are bulbous perennials, some evergreen, associated with rocky and arid habitats. They bear spherical umbels of lily-like flowers in shades from white through pink to crimson. In the case of deciduous species, the flowers may appear on naked stems before the leaves develop. Native to South Africa, there are about 30 species in the genus. Though described as lilies, they are not significantly related to the true lilies Lilium, but more closely resemble their relatives, Amaryllis and Lycoris. The genus was established by the cleric and Amaryllidaceae specialist William Herbert in 1820. Nerines have been widely cultivated and much hybridized worldwide, especially Nerine bowdenii, N. sarniensis and N. undulata (previously known as N. flexuosa). The hybrid cultivar 'Zeal Giant' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The other 20 species are rarely cultivated and very little is known regarding their biology. Many species are threatened with extinction due to the loss or degradation of their habitat. Species of Nerine are herbaceous flowering plants that grow from bulbs. Their leaves are linear, obviously flat in some species and appearing threadlike in others. Their flowers are borne in an umbel on a solid leafless stem (scape). Individual flowers are either radially symmetrical (actinomorphic) or have one plane of symmetry (zygomorphic). Each flower has six narrow red or pink tepals joined at the base to form a short extended or recurved tube. The free parts of the tepals are generally wavy. There are six stamens that are inserted in the base of the petals and frequently protrude from the flower. The stamens can be straight or curved with thin filaments and oblong anthers that attach to their filament at the back (dorsifixed). The inferior ovary has one to many ovules. The style is threadlike and has a three-lobed stigma. The fruit is a capsule. Many species of Nerine have petals with wavy edges, such as Nerine humilis. Profusion of flowers in Nerine filifolia, note the filiform leaves of this species.
Nerine species can be either evergreen or deciduous; the deciduous species can either grow during the winter or the summer. The growth cycle thus defines three groups. There is a strong association between a species' growth habit, the shape of its leaves and the amount of DNA in its cell nuclei. The largest group of 12 species contains the evergreen nerines that retain their leaves throughout the summer and winter (N. angustifolia, N. appendiculata, N. filamentosa, N. filifolia, N. frithii, N. gaberonensis, N. gibsonii, N. gracilis, N. masoniorum, N. pancratioides, N. platypetala and N. rehmannii). Their leaves are narrow and they have the smallest amount of DNA per nucleus (18.0â24.6 pg). Four deciduous species grow in the winter and do not have any leaves during the summer (N. humilis, N. pudica, N. ridleyi and N. sarniensis). They have wide leaves and more DNA per nucleus (25.3â26.2 pg). A final group of seven species only grow during the summer and have no leaves in the winter (N. bowdenii, N. duparquetiana, N. krigei, N. laticoma, N. marincowitzii, N. pusilla and N. undulata). They have wide leaves and the most DNA per nucleus (26.8â35.3 pg). The earliest published name for the genus was Imhofia, given by Lorenz Heister in 1755. The later name Nerine, published by William Herbert in 1820, was widely used, resulting in a decision to conserve the name Nerine and reject the name Imhofia. The genus name derives from the Nereids (sea-nymphs) of Greek mythology that protected sailors and their ships. When Herbert chose the name of these nymphs for the first species of the genus, Nerine sarniensis, he alluded to the story of how this South African species arrived on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel. It is said that a ship carrying boxes of the bulbs of this species destined for the Netherlands was shipwrecked on Guernsey. The boxes of bulbs were washed up on the island and the bulbs became established and multiplied around the coast.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia