Amaryllis Belladonna is also known as the Naked Lady Flower and is a beautiful flower that is sure to be the topic of conversation when it blooms in your garden. It behaves uniquely, blooming twice a year to produce tall, leaf-less stemmed flowers of varying colors, and is aptly called the ‘naked lady.’
Naked lady flowers are a part of the Amaryllidaceae family, with two subgroups: amaryllis belladonna and amaryllis paradisicola. These two flower groups have slightly different shapes and colors, but together, they produce over one hundred species of beautiful, fragrant flowers.
The remainder of this article will highlight seven different types of naked lady flowers, their characteristics, and where they grow. I’ll also provide a brief overview of the Naked Lady Flower, otherwise known as the Amaryllis Belladonna.
About Naked Lady Flowers
The Amaryllis Belladonna flower goes by a few different names, including:
- Jersey lily
- Spider lily
- Surprise lily
- Easter lily
- March lily
However, those are just different names for the two genera that produce many gorgeous bulbs. The Belladonna and the Paradisicola are two genera in the Amaryllidaceae family, which hosts many different colored flowers.
They are characterized by long stems that typically do not have many leaves. If they do, the leaves fall off before the flower blooms.
Most naked ladies flowers prefer full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil or sand. The Amaryllis species is a perennial, meaning it will come back to life on a seasonal basis.
Some people mistake the naked lady flower for a type of lily because some are similar in appearance. They bloom at different times of the year (anywhere from early spring to winter), and all Amaryllis flowers have varying degrees of toxicity, so you should exercise caution if you want to keep it as a houseplant.
Types of Naked Ladies Flowers
There is a wide range of naked ladies flowers, and the following list includes six of the most unique species in the Amaryllicidae family:
1. Lycoris Radiata ‘Red Spider Lily’
The Red Spider Lily is by far the most unique-looking type of naked lady flower. Like all of the naked lady flowers, it is tall with a leafless stem. The bright red flower blooms with spindly stamens, making it look like a spider flipped on its back.
The Red Spider Lily is native to Asia and grows primarily in China and Japan. It blooms in the late summer and fall seasons and contains the alkaloid poison called lycorine. This poison can cause nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal issues.
2. Scadoxus Multiflorus ‘Blood Lily’
The Blood Lily looks similar to the Red Spider Lily because its flower has nearly two hundred spindly stamens that stick straight up in the air. The Blood Lily blooms in early summer and can reach almost 40 cm (15.74 inches) in height. The Blood Lily is toxic if consumed, and care should be taken if handling it with bare hands.
Like many naked lady flowers, the Blood Lily is native to South Africa. It enjoys being root bound, meaning the flower’s roots are “bound” from growing further. This typically happens in potted plants that have outgrown their containers and can sometimes damage the plant if it needs more space.
3. Pancratium Maritimum ‘Sea Daffodil’
The Sea Daffodil is a beautiful white bulbous flower that grows along beaches in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and near Morocco. It can grow up to 24 inches (60.96 cm) in height and grows best in the late summer months in well-drained sand.
This flower requires direct, hot sun to stimulate flower growth. It blooms first with leaves that eventually die in the summer heat. Then, the flower blossoms with five broad, white petals and a bulb in the center.
The Sea Daffodil also has the alkaloid poison lycorine, but it is sometimes used for medicinal purposes if the bulb is cooked.
4. Zephryanthes ‘Zephyr Lily’
The Zephyr Lily is native to the North, Central, and South Americas, primarily in Panama and Venezuela. It resembles a standard white lily with five to six petals and grows to be approximately 11 cm (4.3 inches) tall.
Also known as the Puerto Rico Zephyr Lily, Rain Lily, or Fairy Lily, this lily ranges from white to yellow to various shades of pink.
Unlike the other naked lady flowers I’ve discussed so far, the Zephyr lily is low in toxicity but will still produce symptoms of poisoning (such as nausea and vomiting) if consumed. It’s nicknamed the rain lily because it flourishes almost directly after a period of heavy rain. However, different species of the Zephyr lily will bloom sporadically depending on the time of year.
5. Eucharis Amazonica ‘Amazon Lily’
The Amazon Lily, or the Eucharis Amazonica, looks nearly identical to the Zephyr lily. It is white with six long, pointed petals and is native to Peru. The Amazon Lily is a lovely house plant but is known to attract pests, like mealybugs, spider mites, and bulb mites, due to its strong scent.
The Amazon Lily also blooms in clusters of flowers, as well, and it will have a cluster of approximately two or three lilies on one long, leafless stem. Like many other lily varieties, the Amazon Lily has some toxicity levels and should be avoided for consumption.
6. Amaryllis Paradisicola
The Amaryllis Paradisicola is also part of the Amaryllis family. It’s one of the lesser-known flowers because it suffers from extinction, with less than one thousand individual plants left. Specifically, the paradisicola is one of two genera belonging to the Amaryllis family, the other being the Amaryllis Belladonna.
The Paradisicola is a delicious plant for baboons to eat.
7. Amaryllis Belladonna
Naturally, I had to include the original Naked Lady flower – the Amaryllis Belladonna. This is a naked lady flower with beautiful pink petals that vary in shade. The Belladonna is the second genus of the Amaryllidaceae family, and the above flowers are all different species in this genus.
While the Paradisicola is dark pink in color, the Belladonna ranges from light to dark pink and has slightly longer petals.
The Belladonna species has many sorts of Naked Lady flowers, and while some have specific needs and condition requirements, there are a few essentials the Naked Lady flower needs to thrive.
How To Care for Naked Lady Flowers
Naked Lady Flowers grow best in full sun to partial shade. They first bloom with long, strappy green leaves that die before the flower stalks burst forth. The leafless stalk will then produce a bulb that can grow up to the size of a grapefruit before making more clusters of flowers on a single stem.
Below is some more information on caring for Naked Lady flowers:
Where To Grow
The best cultivation zone for the Naked Lady Flower is between zones seven to ten, but it can thrive in most zones. It needs well-draining soil and can be planted in the ground or in a container as a houseplant.
If you’re growing it in soil, ensure that you remove the dead stalks from the soil each new season.
The Naked Lady Flower should be planted a few inches apart in the garden. Some species of Belladonna– like the Blood Lily– grow best when rootbound, so planting these kinds of flowers in a container is a good idea.
Water
The Naked Lady Flower doesn’t need much water and is a drought-tolerant plant. The green leaves will bloom in the spring, and the flower will follow in the late summer months. When the leaves sprout, water it generously. After this, an inch (2.54 cm) of water per week should be adequate.
Once the flowers die and the plant goes dormant for the winter months, stop watering the plant until it blooms again in the spring.
Sunlight
As mentioned, Naked Lady Flowers enjoy full, direct sunlight. They can tolerate partial shade or dappled light, as well. When determining where to plant your flowers for optimal sunlight, it’s essential to understand the cardinal directions and which one receives the least and most light.
When choosing a spot for your Naked Lady Flower, remember these four tips:
- South-facing plants get the most sunlight from morning to night. Plants that face the south will bask in sunlight all day long, which is excellent for Naked Lady Flowers. For best results, plant your Belladonnas facing south.
- East-facing plants get morning sunlight and afternoon shade. You may also plant your flowers facing the east, as they get soft morning light and shade in the afternoon when the sun is hottest.
- West-facing plants get morning shade and afternoon sunlight. Planting your flower facing the west is also appropriate because they will receive morning shade but afternoon sun.
- North-facing plants get the least amount of sunlight. You should not place your Naked Lady Flower facing north because it won’t receive any sunlight during the day and will not thrive in full shade.
Naked Lady Flower FAQs
To plant your Naked Lady bulb, make sure that the neck of the bulb (the pointy tip, and not the rounded section) is poking out of the soil.
This will help the flower push up the stalk in the late summer months. The round bulb should be planted approximately 4 to 5 inches (10.16 to 12.7 cm) into the soil. Water generously after you’ve planted the flower.
You can take cuttings of your naked lady flower, and it won’t harm the plant. Ensure that you use a sterilized knife or scissors to take the cuttings.
You can also trim the flower down to the bulb during the winter months when it’s beginning to go dormant, as this will prepare your plant for its next bloom in the spring.
Transplanting your Naked Lady Flower requires gentle precision since it does not like to have its roots disturbed. Use a small trowel to dig around the flower stalk until you reach the bulb. When replanting, keep the neck of the bulb outside the soil.
It may take several years for your Naked Lady Flower to bloom again once it has been transplanted, so don’t be alarmed if your flower doesn’t return to its original state when the next blooming phase in spring arrives.
You can propagate Naked Lady flowers. When in bloom, the flowers will produce seeds that resemble pomegranate seeds, which can be sown in fresh soil to propagate. If the seeds haven’t been recently made by the flower, they’ll die quickly and won’t propagate the flower properly.
Naked Lady Flower seedlings should be germinated before being sown in the soil. This means that there should be small, white roots poking out of the seedling to be planted. To germinate your seedlings, pick them off the flower stamen and wrap them in a wet paper towel for a few weeks.
Once the seeds are planted, water the soil adequately and maintain its moisture level while the seedlings prepare to bloom after about six weeks.
A Red Spider Lily symbolizes saying goodbye or bidding farewell to someone. You can give a Red Spider Lily to someone embarking on a long journey or starting a new job.
It is also sometimes used at funerals to say goodbye to someone and to symbolize the circle of life.
Final Thoughts
Naked Lady Flowers is a species of the Amaryllis genus in the Amaryllidaceae family. They are tall, beautiful lilies that have leafless stalks, and the “naked” stems are what give the flowers their name.
The Naked Lady is also called the Amaryllis Belladonna, and its partnering genus is the Amaryllis Paradisicola. Both are native to Africa, but the Paradisicola is becoming extinct and, as such, is much rarer to find.
After reading this article, you should better understand the different varieties of Naked Lady Flowers, what they look like, and how best to care for them.
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