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Full-Text Articles in Botany
Atamasco Lily, Zephyranthes Atamasca, W. John Hayden
Atamasco Lily, Zephyranthes Atamasca, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Simple and pure, Atamasco lilies were among the first of many beautiful wildflowers to be noticed by the Jamestown colonists as they explored the tidewater region of southeastern Virginia. A perennial herb that grows from a subterranean bulb, the leaves are glossy green, linear, flat to somewhat concave, up to one half inch wide and approximately one foot in length. The species name, atamasca, is attributed to Tapehanek words meaning under grass, in reference to the location of the bulb under grass-like leaves. Overall the plant is rather grass-like. Flowers are erect to slightly inclined. As in many lilies, …
2007 Wildflower Of The Year: Atamasco Lily, Zephyranthes Atamasca, W. John Hayden
2007 Wildflower Of The Year: Atamasco Lily, Zephyranthes Atamasca, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Atamasco lily is a perennial herb that grows from a subterranean bulb. The bulb is dark, with a short neck and papery tunic formed by remnants of old leaf bases. Leaves are glossy green, linear, flat to somewhat concave, up to one half inch wide, approximately one foot in length and, overall, rather grasslike. When not in flower the plants can be easily overlooked. Flowering stems are leafless scapes that are about as long as the leaves. In crosssection the scapes are hollow. Each scape terminates in a single flower. A few papery bracts subtend the flower stalk where it …