Proiphys amboinensis
| Cardwell lily | |
|---|---|
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| In Cooktown, Queensland | |
Scientific classification 
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| 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
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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]
Taxonomy[edit]
Its species epithet amboinensis was named after the island of Ambonia, now Ambon in Indonesia.[2]
Description[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
It is a good container plant that needs much water in the growing season. Propagate from seed or lift the bulb.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Proiphys amboinensis". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b Linnaeus, Carl von (1753). "Pancratium amboinense". Species Plantarum. Vol. 1. p. 291 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel (1833). Stemonix nervosus=. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: Atlantic Journal, and Friend of Knowledge. p. 165.
- ^ a b c d Geernick, D. J. L. (1993). "Amaryllidaceae". Flora Malesiana. 11 (2): 353–373 – via Naturalis Institutional Repository.
- ^ "Proiphys amboinensis". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Mullins, Effie (2012). "The genus Proiphys". Growing Native Plants. Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ Fay, Michael F.; Chase, Mark W. (1996). "Resurrection of Themidaceae for the Brodiaea alliance, and Recircumscription of Alliaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Agapanthoideae". Taxon. 45 (3): 441–451.
- ^ a b c Scarth-Johnson, Vera (2000). National Treasures: Flowering Plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association. ISBN 0-646-39726-5.
- ^ a b c d "Proiphys amboinensis (L.) Herb". Atlas of Living Australia. National Research Infrastructure of Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ Beasley, John. 2006. Plants of Tropical North Queensland: the Compact Guide. Footloose Publications, Kuranda. ISBN 1-876617-13-6.
- ^ Herbert, William. 1821. Appendix 42, Proiphys amboinensis