Nerine bowdenii

For another plant known as Guernsey lily, see Nerine sarniensis.

Nerine bowdenii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Nerine
Species:
N. bowdenii
Binomial name
Nerine bowdenii

Nerine bowdenii is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is an herbaceous bulbous perennial, growing to 45 cm (18 in) tall by 8 cm (3 in), with strap-shaped leaves and large umbels of lily-like pink flowers in late summer and autumn.[1] The common names of the species are Cornish lily, Cape flower, Guernsey lily, and Bowden lily. However, it is neither a true lily nor from Cornwall or Guernsey, but originates from South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Drakensberg Mountains).[1] Confusingly the name “Guernsey lily” is also applied to a related species, Nerine sarniensis.

The species was named in 1904 after Athelstan Cornish-Bowden who had sent bulbs of the plant to England from South Africa.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ a b RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  2. ^ Watson, W. (26 November 1904). "Nerine bowdenii". The Gardeners' Chronicle. 36 third series: 365.
  3. ^ David, John (26 October 2007), "The Nerine bowdenii story" (PDF), Report of the Proceedings of Hardy Nerine Study Day, RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee and the Nerine & Amaryllid Society
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TELEG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).