Amazon lily
| Amazon lily | ||||||||||||
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Amazon Lily (illustration) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eucharis amazonica | ||||||||||||
| Linden ex planch. |
The Amazon lily , also heart cup ( Eucharis amazonica ) is one of about 17 species in the genus EUCHARIS from the family of Amaryllidaceae family (Amaryllidaceae).
Distribution and location
The home of the Amazon lily is in northwestern Peru in a relatively narrow region in the valley of the Río Huallaga near Moyobamba and Tarapoto (i.e. not on the Amazon itself). There it thrives in the shady undergrowth of the rainforest at altitudes between 500 and 1500 m. Today it is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant in the tropics, in the temperate zones also in the greenhouse or as a houseplant.
description
The Amazon lily is an evergreen, clump-forming geophyte ; their bulbs measure 3.5 to 6 cm in diameter. From this arise 2 to 4 dark green and shiny leaves with a stem length of (15-) 25-35 (-50) cm. The lanceolate leaf blade is (20-) 30-40 (-50) cm long and (10-) 12-18 cm wide. The perfumed, sweet-smelling, white flowers with 6 tepals are 4 to 8 at the end of a shaft and reach 6 to 9 cm in diameter. They appear waxy and are relatively long-lived. The stamens are fused at the base to form a secondary crown . The main flowering period is December to March and July / August.
Systematics and number of chromosomes
The Amazon lily is often, but incorrectly, carried under the scientific name of Eucharis grandiflora . On the other hand, it has to be distinguished from Eucharis x grandiflora , a natural hybrid (probably between Eucharis moorei and Eucharis sanderi ).
The fact that the Amazon lily reproduces vegetatively through brood bulbs , but so far no viable seeds have been described, together with the narrowly limited home area suggests that all plants form a single clone .
The Amazon lily has 2n = 68 chromosomes .
ingredients
13 different alkaloids were detected in the bulbs and leaves of blooming Amazon lilies; including three for the first time in a natural source (7-methoxyoxoassoanin, 6-O-methylpretazettin and apohaemanthamine).
Individual evidence
- ↑ F. Cabezas, A. Ramirez, F. Viladomat, C. Codina, J. Bastida: Alkaloids from Eucharis amazonica (Amaryllidaceae) . Chem. Pharm. Bull. 51, 3, pp. 315-317 (2003)
literature
- Alan W. Meerow: A monograph of the Amazon lilies, Eucharis and Caliphruria (Amaryllidaceae) . Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 76, pp. 136-220 (1989).
Web links
- Fact Sheet, Univ. of Florida (English; PDF file; 52 kB)
- Entry at GRIN (Engl.)
- Information for flower induction (Engl.)