Amaryllis is usually thought of as a flower that blooms in spring, but until recently, even gardeners and florists used to refer to flowers of the hippeastrum family, which are a different variety from the original amaryllis, as amaryllis. So it’s confusing. To distinguish the true amaryllis from the Hippeastrum variety, it came to be called ‘Honma Amaryllis.’ Unlike many species commonly referred to as amaryllis (belonging to the Hippeastrum genus) that produce both leaves and flowers simultaneously, the Honma Amaryllis (belonging to the Amaryllis genus) lacks leaves above ground during its flowering period, resembling the way Higanbana flowers bloom.
While the commonly known amaryllis is native to Central and South America, the Honma Amaryllis originates from South Africa and is also known as the Belladonna Lily. ‘Belladonna’ means ‘beautiful lady’ in Italian. It was introduced to Japan towards the end of the Meiji era. Its flowering season spans from midsummer to early autumn, with flower stems extending from the bulb to produce around 10 or more blossoms at their tips. The flower stems can reach heights of 50cm to 70cm. The flowers are trumpet-shaped with wide openings, similar to lilies, and come in delicate shades of pink, white, and red.
Similar to the Higanbana, the leaves of the Honma Amaryllis wither before summer, and in the autumn, only the flowers appear and bloom. Although they are less numerous than Higanbana, their elegant appearance adds a unique touch of beauty to the autumn scenery, distinct from the Higanbana, enhancing the colors of the season.

通常、アマリリスと言うと、春に咲く花とイメージされがちですが、本来のアマリリスとは別品種のヒッペアストラム族の花を、少し前までは、園芸家や花屋までもがアマリリスと言っていたので混乱します。そこで、ヒッペアストラム族のアマリリスと区別するために、本来のアマリリスをホンマアマリリスと呼ぶ様になりました。一般に言うアマリリス(ヒッペアストルム属)の多くの種が花と一緒に葉も展開させるのに対し、ホンアマリリス(アマリリス属)は開花時にはヒガンバナのように地上部に葉がありません。通称のアマリリスが中南米が原産地であるのに対して、ホンマアマリリスは南アフリカ原産で、別名ベラドンナ・リリーといいます。ベラドンナとはイタリア語で「美しい淑女」と言う意味です。日本には明治の末に入ってきました。開花期は真夏から初秋で、球根から花茎をにゅっと伸ばしてその先端に10輪前後の花を咲かせます。花茎は高さ50cm～70cmにもなります。花は筒状で先端が大きく開き、ユリに似ていて、色は淡いピンクや白、紅色があります。彼岸花と同様、夏の前に葉が枯れ、秋には花だけが現れ咲きます。彼岸花に比べて数も少なく目立ちませんが、気品のある花姿は、彼岸花とはまた違った意味で、秋の景色に彩りを添えます。