Amaryllis paradisicola Snijman

Deciduous bulbous herbs, up to 800 mm tall when flowering and fruiting. Bulbs solitary or sometimes clustered, large, ovoidal, ±100 x 140 mm, without a narrow neck, sometimes more than half exposed above ground; tunics numerous, cream-coloured, papery, producing extensible threads when torn. Leaves 6-9, hysteranthous, distichous, suberect when emerging, spreading and apparently rosulate when mature; blade ligulate when young to lingulate when mature, up to 70-130 x 350-500 mm, somewhat channelled, more or less thin-textured, bright green, covered with short patent hairs on both surfaces at least while developing, producing copious brown sap when cut and numerous extensible threads when torn; abaxial surface with a prominent midrib; margins sometimes slightly thickened, reddened and undulate, at least when young. Inflorescence upright; scape solid, stout, succulent, 20-40 x 480-800 mm, somewhat compressed, slightly ancipitous, glaucous-green, reddish brown proximally, smooth, withering after seed dispersal; spathe valves 2, papery and reflexed at anthesis, 20-25 x 50-55 mm; bracteoles numerous, flattened, up to 2 x 50 mm. Flowers 10-21, trumpet-shaped, with funnel 30-40 mm long, 15-20 mm wide at throat, 70-80 mm wide at rim, in an evenly spreading, umbel-like cluster, uniformly pink, without contrasting colours in veins or throat, turning darker pink with age, scented; pedicels evenly spreading, firm, 3-5 x 30-70 mm at anthesis, elongating to 250 mm in fruit, mostly subterete but slightly triangular in cross section below developing fruit. Tepals free, broadly lanceolate, 12-20 x 65-80 mm, slightly recurved apically. Stamens declinate, shorter than tepals, biseriate; filaments stout, pale pink, basally fused and adnate to perigone for ±7 mm; outer whorl ±35 mm long; inner whorl ±50 mm long, basally adnate to perigone for up to ±5 mm beyond tube; anthers versatile, dorsifixed, curved, 7-9 mm long, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary green, trilocular, 5 mm across; ovules 4-6 per locule, axile; style declinate, ±65 mm long, longer than stamens, shorter than tepals, pale pink; stigma trifid with spreading, slender branches up to 1.5-2.5 mm long. Capsule loculicidal, subglobose, 20-30 mm across, leathery. Seeds fleshy, more or less ovoid, 12-17 mm across, glossy, whitish to pink; embryo green.