Storm Lily or Rain Lily

Description:

Zephyranthes is a genus of about seventy species in the Amaryllis family. Common names for species in this genus include fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily and rain lily. The name Zephyranthes comes from Zephyrus, the god of the west wind in Greek mythology. Therefore, one translation for a common name might be Westwind Flower. The west wind presumably brings rain that these plants revel in. Foliage in the wild is often ephemeral. Leaf color is a bright grassy green. The flower is pink with an erect stalk supporting the flower, which may be upward facing or slightly nodding. Funnel-shaped, the flowers have six petals and are reminiscent of a crocus. They have no fragrance. Flowering typically lasts only for a day or two, but new flowers may appear in a succession of blooms, especially during humid or rainy weather. They bloom with flushes of blossoms after rainstorms, hence one of the common names, Rain Lilies. Other names applied to the Rain Lilies are Fairy Lilies because of their diminutive stature and ephemeral nature, Pink Lady because of their elegant appearance or Storm Lilies because they appear to be persuaded to bloom as much by cyclonic changes in barometric pressures as by rainfall itself. Storm Lilies flower far better if natural rainfall triggers the bloom — they are not fooled by a mere garden hose.