AGAPANTHUS
Agapanthus is the only genus in the subfamily Agapanthoideae of the flowering plant family Amaryllidaceae. The family is in the monocot order Asparagales. The name is derived from scientific Greek: αγάπη (agape) = love, άνθος (anthos) = flower. Some species of Agapanthus are commonly known as lily of the Nile (or African lily in the UK), although they are not lilies and all of the species are native to Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique) though some have become naturalised in scattered places around the world (Australia, Great Britain, Mexico, Ethiopia, Jamaica, etc.).
Species boundaries are not clear in the genus, and in spite of having been intensively studied, the number of species recognised by different authorities varies from 6 to 10. The type species for the genus is Agapanthus africanus shown here. A great many hybrids and cultivars have been produced and they are cultivated throughout warm areas of the world.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Wonderful blue! I had three pots for any years, they were grown and grown and at the end of this summer have them given up to other people - I haven't enough cool and lightful space in my home to hibernate all the big plants, sigh!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful blue!
ReplyDeleteI like this flower.
Greetings from Germany