Native to South America, Amaryllis, or Hippeastrum as it is formally known, is a flowering bulbous crop belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family.
According to Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a beautiful maiden who fell in love with Alteo, a shepherd with the strength of Hercules and the beauty of Apollo. In order to win him over, Amaryllis stood outside his house for thirty days, piercing her heart with a golden arrow nightly. On the thirtieth night, crimson flowers grew from where her blood had spilled on the ground and Alteo finally fell in love with her.
Its Latin name is derived from ancient Greek and means Knight’s Star, but exactly why it was given this epithet is not known, although speculations abound.
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