Alstromeria

Common Names: alstroemeria, Peruvian lily, Inca lily

Alstromeria is a showy lily-like flower found on the South American alstroemeria herb plant, thus the nicknames, Peruvian lily and Inca lily. The flower was named after the Swedish botanist Baron Klas von Alstroemer, when he discovered the herb on a trip to Spain in 1753.

Cultivated alstromeria flowers include 60 varieties of perennials which bloom in the late spring to early- or mid-summer. Plants reach two to four feet in height and produce rambling stems of flowers which can be cut into two to three feet long stems, each holding a bunch of two to four flower buds

There are a significant variety of colors of alstromeria, including some variegated varieties that hearken to azaleas. The colors include white, yellow, orange, apricot, pink, salmon, red, mauve, purple and lavender.

Alstromeria have long been a florist's favorite for filling in arrangements of various species of flowers. They create colorful showy accents to bouquets of Gerbera daisies, roses, lilies, or carnations. Alstromeria also boast a hardy constitution, lasting up to two weeks in a bouquet.

Species

• Alstroemeria aurea : Lily of the Incas.
• Alstromeria aurantiaca : Peruvian Lily
• Alstroemeria caryophyllacea : Brazilian Lily
• Alstroemeria haemantha : Purplespot Parrot Lily
• Alstroemeria ligtu : Lily-of-the-Nile
• Alstroemeria psittacina : Lily of the Incas, White-edged Peruvian Lily
• Alstroemeria pulchella : Parrot Lily, Parrot Flower, Red Parrot Beak, New Zealand Christmas Bell