Agapanthus

Agapanthus
Agapanthus flower and leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Agapanthaceae
Genus:	Agapanthus L'Hér.
Species
See text

Agapanthus (pronounced /ˌæɡəˈpænθəs/),^[1] the "Lily of the Nile", is a genus of mostly summer-blooming flower plants with six to ten species depending on how the different species are classified. They are all herbaceous perennial plants native to South Africa. They have been placed either in the family Alliaceae, or separated into their own monogeneric family Agapanthaceae (e.g. Indices Nominum Supragenericorum Plantarum Vascularium).

Members of the genus have funnel-shaped flowers, in varying shades of blue colors with white flowering forms occurring. The species have been hybridized to produce additional colors in plants under cultivation. The flowers are produced in many-flowered cymes on long, erect stems called scapes, which can grow up to 1 m long. The basal leaves are curved, lanceolate, and are up to 60 cm long.

Species

Zonneveld & Duncan (2003) classified Agapanthus into six species (A. africanus, A. campanulatus, A. caulescens, A. coddii, A. inapertus, A. praecox). Four additional taxa recognised by Leighton (1965) as species (A. comptonii, A. dyeri, A. nutans, A. walshii) are given status below species rank by Zonneveld & Duncan.

• Agapanthus africanus (syn. A. umbellatus; African Lily or African Tulip)
• Agapanthus campanulatus (African bluebell, African Blue lily or Bell Agapanthus)
• Agapanthus caulescens
• Agapanthus coddii (Codd's Agapanthus or Blue Lily)
• Agapanthus comptonii
• Agapanthus dyeri
• Agapanthus inapertus (Drakensberg Agapanthus or Drooping Agapanthus)
• Agapanthus nutans
• Agapanthus orientalis
• Agapanthus praecox (Common Agapanthus, Blue Lily, African Lily, or Lily of the Nile)
• Agapanthus walshii

Cultivation and uses

An agapanthus in pre-bloom stage

Agapanthus africanus can be grown within USDA plant hardiness zones 9 to 11. In lower-numbered zones, the bulbs should be placed deeper in the soil and mulched well in the fall. Agapanthus can be propagated by dividing the bulbs or by seeds, the seeds of most varieties are fertile.

Several hundred cultivars and hybrids are cultivated as garden and landscape plants. Several are winter-hardy to USDA Zone 7.

Footnotes

Literature

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agapanthus

• Leighton, F. M. (1965). The Genus Agapanthus L'Heritier. J. South African Botany, supplementary volume IV.
• Snoeijer W (2004) Agapanthus A Revision of the Genus. ISBN 0-88192-631-0
• Zonneveld, B. J. M. & Duncan, G. D. (2003). Taxonomic implications of genome size and pollen colour and vitality for species of Agapanthus L'Heritier (Agapanthaceae). Plant Syst. Evol. 241: 115-123.

External links

• PlantZAfrica: Agapanthus africanus
• Indices Nominum Supragenericorum Plantarum Vascularium