Zephyranthes bifida

Zephyranthes bifida, formerly Rhodophiala bifida and commonly the oxblood lily or schoolhouse lily, is a species of bulbous, terrestrial herb in the family Amaryllidaceae native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay. it is cultivated in the Southern United States as an ornamental plant for its pink to red flowers.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Zephyranthes bifida is a 15–40 cm tall, bulbous, terrestrial herb with ovoid to globose bulbs and green, linear, 15–30 cm long, and 3–7 mm wide leaves with an obtuse apex.

Generative characteristics

The androecium consists of 6 stamens. The stigma is trifid. The capsule fruit is 1.2–3 cm wide.

Cytology

The chromosome count is 2n = 16 or 2n = 18.

Taxonomy

It was first published as Habranthus bifidus by William Herbert in 1825. Long known as and still often called Rhodophiala bifida, it was placed into the genus Zephyranthes as Zephyranthes bifida by Nicolás García Berguecio and Alan W. Meerow in 2019.
It is placed in the monotypic subgenus Zephyranthes subg. Neorhodophiala.

Distribution

It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Uruguay.

Cultivation

Z. bifida is found in cultivation. In the U.S., plants were first imported from Argentina popularized by a German immigrant to the Texas Hill Country. From Texas, they were distributed throughout the South as an heirloom plant. The cultivar from Texas, sometimes called 'Hill Country Red', typically has dark red flowers with flowers blooming with autumn rains before the appearance of leaves.