Proiphys amboinensis

Species of flowering plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Proiphys amboinensis is the type species of the flowering plant genus Proiphys.[4]: 363  Its common names include Cardwell lily[5] and northern Christmas lily[citation needed] (as it usually flowers around Christmas). It is considered native to Thailand, Indonesia (Maluku, Sulawesi, Bali, Lombok, Timor), the Philippines, the Bismark Archipelago, Vanuatu, New Guinea and Australia (Queensland and Western Australia).[6] It is also naturalized in Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Solomon Islands, Niue, Society Islands, Caroline Islands and Mariana Islands.[1][7]

Clade:Tracheophytes
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Monocots
Order:Asparagales
Quick facts Cardwell lily, Scientific classification ...
Cardwell lily
In Cooktown, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Proiphys
Species:
P. amboinensis
Binomial name
Proiphys amboinensis
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Amaryllis rotundifolia Lam.
    • Cearia amboinensis (L.) Dumort.
    • Cepa amboinensis (L.) Kuntze
    • Crinum nervosum L'Hér.
    • Eurycles alata Sweet
    • Eurycles amboinensis (L.) Lindl. ex Loudon
    • Eurycles australasica (Ker Gawl.) G.Don
    • Eurycles coronata Sweet
    • Eurycles javanica M.Roem.
    • Eurycles nervosa G.Don
    • Eurycles nuda Sweet
    • Eurycles rotundifolia M.Roem.
    • Pancratium amboinense L.[2]
    • Pancratium australasicum Ker Gawl.
    • Pancratium nervifolium Salisb.
    • Pancratium ovatifolium Stokes
    • Stemonix nervosus (L'Hér.) Raf.[3]
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Taxonomy

Its species epithet amboinensis was named after the island of Ambonia, now Ambon in Indonesia.[2]

Description

The Caldwell lily grows on seashores and rocky places up to an altitude of 500 metres.[4]: 366  It prefers open, lightly shaded rainforests.[8][page needed] It grows from a bulb measuring up to 8 centimetres in diameter;[9] it grows quickly after the arrival of the wet season in Australia.[8][page needed] Its leaves are ovate and nearly circular measuring 20–30 cm long and 15–35 cm wide from stalks between 15 and 60 centimetres long.[4]: 366 [9] The leaves die away in the dry season.

Umbel

Cardwell lily flower umbel

A total of 5–25 white flowers grow in an umbel on stalks over between 15 and 90 cm long,[4]: 366  each flower is trumpet shaped and release a pleasant scent with filaments 2–3 mm long.[9] Flowering in Australia typically begins in late December while flowering season in India is from May to June.

Fruit produced from pollination are green to blackish capsules 25–30 mm across.[10][11][9]

Cultivation and uses

It is a good container plant that needs much water in the growing season. Propagate from seed or lift the bulb.[8]

References

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