Knight stars

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Knight stars
Hippeastrum hybrid 'Gilmar'

Hippeastrum hybrid 'Gilmar'

Systematics
Monocots
Order : Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family : Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Subfamily : Amaryllidoideae
Tribe : Amaryllideae
Genre : Knight stars
Scientific name
Hippeastrum
Herb.

The Hippeastrum ( Hippeastrum ) are a genus within the family of the Amaryllis (Amaryllidaceae). The approximately 80 species thrive in areas with a pronounced dry season in South America . The knight star varieties cultivated as ornamental plants in Europe are predominantly hybrids .

description

Illustration of Hippeastrum vittatum from John Lindley : Collectanea Botanica , 1821

Appearance and leaves

Hippeastrum species grow as perennial herbaceous plants . As persistence organs, they form more or less spherical onions .

Some basal leaves are formed. The simple, fleshy leaf blades are tongue-shaped, parallel-veined, smooth-edged with a pointed upper end. The height of the knight's star is around 50 to 80 centimeters.

Inflorescences, flowers and fruits

The inflorescence stem is hollow. A golden inflorescence is formed. Below the flowers there are two bracts that protect the flower buds when they are in bud and hang down dry-skinned during the anthesis . The stalked flowers are spread out to pendulous.

The hermaphrodite flowers are threefold. The two circles, each with three bracts, are fused together like a funnel or bell. The three outer bracts are slightly shorter than the inner ones. There is a tiny crown-shaped secondary crown at the throat of the flower tube. There are two circles with three almost identical stamens each; they do not protrude beyond the flower tube. The slender stamens are inserted in the flower tube. Three carpels have become an under constant ellipsoidal ovary grown. The slim pen is about as long as the bloom, ending in a capitate or weakly three-lobed stigma .

The capsule fruit opens loculicidally and contains few to many seeds.

The knight's star is one of the winter bloomers. Its flowering period extends from October to April. Some varieties have almost single-colored petals (e.g. in the colors red, white, pink, yellow or purple). But edge drawings, striped patterns or speckled patterns in different colors and tints are also widespread. The special thing about the flowers of the knight star is the size of the flowers: They can reach a diameter of up to 20 centimeters.

With appropriate care (water / fertilization / substrate / light) and consistent adherence to shortened temperature cycles (warm / cold / warm) it can take noticeably less than a whole year until the next blooming period.

ingredients

The Hippeastrum hybrids, like the Belladonna lily ( Amaryllis belladonna ), contain the alkaloid lycorin .

Illustration of Hippeastrum puniceum by Maria Sibylla Merian , 1705
Illustration of Hippeastrum elegans from Botanical Register; Consisting of Colored Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment. London , Volume 11, 1825 Table 876, under the synonym Amaryllis solandriflora var. Vittata

Systematics

Botanical History - Separation of Hippeastrum and Amaryllis

The taxonomy of the genera is Hippeastrum and Amaryllis . In 1753, Carl von Linné coined the species name Amaryllis belladonna as a type of the genus Amaryllis . In his work Species Plantarum , he described eight other species of amaryllis . Linné worked from 1735 to 1737 on the estate of George Clifford near Haarlem and described the plant species cultivated there in the work Hortus Cliffortianus . Linnaeus uses the knowledge from the Hortus Cliffortianus in his Species Plantarum . Clifford's Herbarium is deposited in the Natural History Museum in London.

Since then, the species of southern Africa and South America have been classified in the same genus Amaryllis . In the early 19th century, the genus Amaryllis had grown to about 50 species. These species are now divided into about a dozen genera. This work was begun in 1819 with the contributions of the English botanist William Herbert in Curtis's Botanical Magazine , which he continued in The Botanical Register in 1821 by placing 14 species in the new genus Hippeastrum and leaving three species in the genus Amaryllis . He placed the remaining Amaryllis species in a different genus, some of which he newly established. In 1837 Herbert specified his description of Hippeastrum in his work on the Amaryllidaceae. For a long time it was controversial whether a Neotropical or South African species is the type of the genus Amaryllis ; this is determined according to the priority rule. The final decision was made in 1987 by the 14th International Botanical Congress , which stipulated that Amaryllis L. should be a nomen conservandum , based on a South African herbarium from the Clifford Herbarium of Amaryllis belladonna L. This makes Amaryllis L. the valid name for the South African genus , the South American species belong to the genus Hippeastrum . As is often the case with ornamental plants, the old common name "Amaryllis" is still popular for the Hippeastrum varieties and leads to frequent confusion.

Illustration from A selection of Hexandrian plants, belonging to the natural orders Amaryllidae and Liliacae , Plate 9 by Hippeastrum correiense
Flowers of Hippeastrum evansiae
Illustration from Francisco Manuel Blanco: Flora de Filipinas. Según el sistema de Linneo from Hippeastrum miniatum
Flower of Hippeastrum papilio
Flowers of Hippeastrum pardinum
Flower of Hippeastrum puniceum
Hippeastrum reginae
Flower of Hippeastrum reticulatum
Habitus, leaves, inflorescences and flowers of Hippeastrum striatum
Habit, leaves, inflorescences and flowers of Hippeastrum stylosum
Hippeastrum × johnsonii
Hippeastrum as a potted plant

The genus Hippeastrum was discovered in 1821 by William Herbert in An Appendix: General index to the Botanical magazine, vol. 43-48 containing a treatise on bulbous roots. By William Herbert with plates. London , p. 31. Hippeastrum reginae (L.) Herb was retained as the type species . Synonyms for Hippeastrum Herb. nom. cons. are: Leopoldia Herb. nom. rej ., Callicore Link , Aulica Raf. , Eusarcops Raf. , Trisacarpis Raf. , Aschamia Salisb. , Chonais Salisb. , Lais Salisb. , Omphalissa Salisb. , Lepidopharynx Rusby , Moldenkea Traub , Carlotea Arruda ex Koster .

External system

The genus Hippeastrum belongs to the tribe Hippeastreae in the subfamily Amaryllidoideae within the family Amaryllidaceae .

Species and their distribution

There have been around 98 species of Hippeastrum in the Neotropic since 2015 :

Hybrids (selection):

use

Due to its late blooming time, the knight's star is a popular ornamental plant , especially at Christmas time , which is often sold under the (incorrect, see above) name amaryllis. In the trade there are mostly hybrids based on the deciduous species. In addition to pot culture, special vases for hydroponics and onions with often colored plastic covers are offered. The latter in particular makes the knight's star a disposable product, although further culture is undemanding in itself. Due to its long shelf life (two weeks), the knight's star is also a popular cut flower in floristry .

All parts of the knight's star are highly poisonous. The onion in particular is highly toxic and consumption of just a few grams can be fatal. Skin contact can also lead to irritation in sensitive people.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Walter C. Holmes: Hippeastrum. , P. 55 - online with the same text as the printed work , In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 26: Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales , Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 2002, ISBN 0-19-515208-5 .
  2. ↑ Knight's Star (Hippeastrum hybridum) at gift Pflanzen.com . (Information on Lycorin and structural formula)
  3. ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum . 1753, p. 292-293 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ). Linné lists the nine amaryllis species: Amaryllis lutea , Amaryllis atamasco , Amaryllis formossissima , Amaryllis belladonna , Amaryllis sarniensis, Amaryllis zeylanica , Amaryllis longifolia , Amaryllis orientalis , Amaryllis guttata .
  4. ↑ The George Clifford Herbarium. Natural History Museum, accessed October 16, 2014 .
  5. ^ A b Carl von Linné: Hortus Cliffortianus . 1737, Amaryllis, p. 135 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  6. ↑ JR Sealy: Amaryllis and Hippeastrum . In: Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew) . Volume 1939, No. 2 , 1939, pp. 49-68 , JSTOR : 4111685 .
  7. ^ William Herbert: Amaryllis reticulata . In: Curtis's Botanical Magazine . Volume 47, 1819, pp. 2113 ( botanicus.org ).
  8. ^ William Herbert: An Appendix: Preliminary Treatise (pp. 1-14) and A Treatise & c. (pp. 15-52) . In: The Botanical Register . Volume 7. Printed for James Ridgway and Sherwood, Neely, and Sons, Picadilly, London 1821 ( For Hippeastrum pp. 7ff. And 31-34; for Hippeastrum splendens pp. 52-53 in the Google book search).
  9. ^ William Herbert: Amaryllidaceae: Preceded by an Attempt to Arrange the Monocotyledonous Orders, and Followed by a Treatise on Cross-bred Vegetables, and Supplement . Ridgway, London 1837 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  10. ^ Alan W. Meerow, Johan Van Scheepen, Julie HA Dutilh: Transfers from Amaryllis to Hippeastrum (Amaryllidaceae). In: Taxon . Volume 46, Issue 1, 1997, pp. 15-19, doi: 10.2307 / 1224287 .
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Hippeastrum. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  12. ^ Hippeastrum in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

further reading

  • Veronica A. Read: Hippeastrum, the Gardener's Amaryllis. Timber Press, Portland OR, 2004, ISBN 978-0-88192-639-2 .

Web links

Commons : Rittersterne ( Hippeastrum )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files