Hippeastrum reticulatum, the netted-veined amaryllis, is a flowering perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to South America.
Description Vegetative characteristics Hippeastrum reticulatum is a bulbous, terrestrial herb with 3.2–4.8 cm wide bulbs bearing lanceolate to oblanceolate, pseudopetiolate, up to 45 cm long, and 3.8–5.0 cm wide leaves.Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. (n.d.). Hippeastrum reticulatum (L’Hér.) Herb. Flora E Funga Do Brasil. Retrieved March 14, 2025, from https://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/FB4367 Generative characteristics The 6–8-flowered, scapose inflorescence with a 40.0–45.0 cm long, and 0.7–0.9 cm wide scape bears pedicellate, pink to white flowers. Each locule has up to 12 ovules. The capsule fruit with a bright red interiorCampos-Rocha, A., Meerow, A. W., Peixoto, M., Koch, I., Messias, P. A., & Dutilh, J. H. A. (2023). To print in red ink: two new species of Hippeastrum (Amaryllidaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Plant Ecology and Evolution, 156(2), 239-256. bears globose seeds. Cytology The chromosome count is 2n = 22.García, N., Meerow, A. W., Soltis, D. E., & Soltis, P. S. (2014). Testing deep reticulate evolution in Amaryllidaceae tribe Hippeastreae (Asparagales) with ITS and chloroplast sequence data. Systematic Botany, 39(1), 75-89.
Taxonomy Hippeastrum reticulatum was one of the earliest Hippeastrums to be discovered and was introduced to Europe in 1777 by Edward Whitaker Gray from Brazil, as documented by William Aiton in his Hortus Kewensis (1789). It was described by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1788 as one of a number of species of Amaryllis, Amaryllis reticulata, it was later recognised by Herbert in 1824 as a member of the separate South American genus Hippeastrum rather than Amaryllis which is confined to South Africa, and thus as Hippeastrum reticulatum (L'Hér.) Herb., Bot. Mag. 51: t. 2475 (1824).
Subdivision Some sources follow Herbert (1837) in stating that there are two varieties, reticulatum and striatifolium. A third variety, strictum Herb., is sometimes also included. This division into varieties is not accepted by the World Checklist.
Etymology The specific epithet reticulatum is Latin for "netted", referring to the venation of the petals.
Distribution and habitat From Argentina to Brazil, growing in wet sandy soil. In Brazil they are found under Mussununga forest whose smaller canopy allows more light to reach the forest floor.
Ecology Hippeastrum reticulatum blooms in late summer to autumn, with an active growing season of autumn to early winter, and requires a semi-dormant period of 4–6 weeks during late winter and early spring. The species is unusual amongst Hippeastrum, in being self-fertile.
Conservation It is vulnerable to local extinction.Candido, R. S., Fourny, A. C. D. S., Gonçalves-Esteves, V., & Lopes, R. C. (2013). Hippeastrum species in areas of restinga in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: pollen characters. Acta Botanica Brasilica, 27, 661-668.
References
Bibliography
Historical
Databases GBIF: Hippeastrum reticulatum
Flora
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