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Amaryllidaceae
Fire Lily
Cyrtanthus contractus
Rebirth through adversity.
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Genus
- Cyrtanthus
- Native to
- South Africa
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- bulb
- Height
- 0.5-1.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy, humus-rich
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Fire Lilies earned their name because some Cyrtanthus species bloom spectacularly after wildfires sweep through their habitat.
- Smoke and ethylene gas from fires trigger a chemical response in the bulbs that initiates flowering within days.
- They are among the fastest-responding fire-adapted plants, sometimes blooming within a week after a burn.
- The genus name Cyrtanthus comes from Greek words meaning 'curved flower,' describing the tubular bloom shape.
- Despite being called lilies, they are actually members of the amaryllis family and are more closely related to daffodils.
Color meanings
0
renewal
1
transformation