2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Scarlet Hemantus (Latin Haemanthus coccineus) - one of the types of bulbous plants of the genus Gemantus (lat. Haemanthus), belonging to the amazingly beautiful family Amaryllis (lat. Amaryllidaceae). The plant has fleshy leaves that sometimes appear after the flowering period, and bright inflorescences formed by perhaps the smallest flowers on the earth's surface. The homeland of Gemantus scarlet is the territory of South Africa, characterized by a variety of relief and weather conditions.
What's in your name
Although the first illustration of a plant flower was first published in Europe in 1605 and belonged to the hand of the Flemish botanist, Matthias de Lobel, whose name is immortalized in the name of the genus Lobelia, the genus received the name "Gemantus" only a century and a half later from Karl Linnaeus, who decided to streamline human knowledge about the plant world.
During the time of Karl Linnaeus, European botanists cultivated only two species of related plants in greenhouses, one of which was Haemanthus coccineus (Gemantus scarlet). Both species had inflorescences of bright red color - the color of human blood, which served as the basis for choosing the name of the genus in the form of the word "Haemanthus", consisting of two Greek words: "blood" and "flower".
Further searches expanded the knowledge of botanists about the plants of the genus, among which there were species, for example, with snow-white inflorescences. But the name of the genus remained in its original version, surprising people who grow Gemantus with white flowers and do not understand what blood has to do with white miniature flowers.
The specific epithet "coccineus" is translated from Latin as "pink", which does not quite correspond to the real shade of the inflorescences, and therefore in the Russian name it sounds like "scarlet", which covers many shades of red. Along with bright red, this includes: carmine colors, flame colors, blood colors, pomegranate, red …
In addition to the botanical Latin name, the plant has many different names. Some of them are associated with the flowering time of Gemantus scarlet, for example, "April Fool's Day" or "March Lily". Others are born to the amazing sight when shiny buds, devoid of any foliage, appear on the surface of the earth. This is "April Fool" or "Reckless April".
And the common English name "Bloedblom" was assigned to the plant because of the opinion of people about its ability to stop bleeding.
Description
Gemantus scarlet is a very variable perennial that can be a solitary plant or grow in an impressive group.
As a rule, each bulb reveals two leaves to the world, sometimes suddenly becoming generous by three. The color, size, shape of the leaves can vary significantly in different specimens. These are narrow or wide elliptical leaves, or tongue-shaped, with a width of 25 to 210 mm, with a green top and a dark green bottom with a reddish tint. Leaves are erect, curved or spread over the surface of the earth. Sometimes the leaves appear simultaneously with the peduncle, but more often after flowering. In October, they die off and the bulb remains dormant in the soil.
From February to April, when the leaves are just about to get out of the soil, inflorescences of small flowers, located on strong and juicy pedicels, enter the world. They are protected from natural troubles by tough, usually fleshy, red bracts.
The flowers are replaced by fleshy translucent berries from white to pale pink, inside which there are from one to three burgundy-colored seeds.
Healing abilities
Fresh leaves of the plant are applied to ulcers on the skin, as well as to the pustules (skin blister with pus) of anthrax.
The onion cooked in vinegar in conjunction with honey is used as a diuretic, as well as for the treatment of asthma.
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Gemantus
Hemantus (Latin Haemanthus) - a genus of bulbous plants of the Amaryllidaceae family (Latin Amaryllidaceae). Plants are distinguished by a small number of leaves, evergreen or periodically falling, and an unusual inflorescence, similar to a paintbrush or an artist's brush.
White-flowered Gemantus
White-flowered Gemantus It is also known under this name as the deer tongue. In Latin, the name of this plant is as follows: Haemanthus albiflos. White-flowered Gemantus belongs to the family called Amaryllidaceae. Description of white-flowered hemantus This plant prefers sunlight, but partial shade is also acceptable.
Gemantus Amaryllis
Hemantus amaryllis (lat.Haemanthus amarylloides) - a kind of bulbous plants of the genus Gemantus (lat. Haemanthus) from the Amaryllis family (lat. Amaryllidaceae). Umbellate cone-shaped inflorescences are formed by pink flowers, from which yellow specks of stamens stick out.
Japanese Scarlet
Japanese scarlet (lat.Cercidiphyllum japonicum) - a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Bagryanik of the Bagryanikov family. Natural habitats are dense mixed and deciduous forests of Japan and China. Today it is widely cultivated in Central and East Asia, Europe and North America.
Globular Inflorescences Of Gemantus
A lesser known member of the Amaryllidaceae family is the bulbous plant called Gemantus. An alien from South Africa, growing on the windowsills of residential premises and swarming institutions, is often called by completely different names, not suspecting that he is a relative of such more famous houseplants as clivia, amaryllis, hippeastrum or large-flowered bulbous eucharis
