Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Alstroemeriaceae
Genus: Alstroemeria
Species: A. psittacina
Binomial name: Alstroemeria psittacina
Synonym: Alstroemeria pulchella
Common names: Christmas lily, Lily of the Incas, Inca lily, New Zealand Christmas bell, New Zealand Christmas bells, Parrot alstroemeria, Parrot flower, Parrot lily, Parrotlily, Peruvian lily, Princess Lily, Red parrot beak
Alstroemeria psittacina is tuberous, native plant of the grasslands and pampas of the Cerrado and Pantanal in Brazil and Argentina. It is now cultivated as an ornamental plant by plant nurseries.
When this garden ornamental escapes cultivation in dumped garden waste it can be very invasive. It is classed an environmental weed in Australia and New Zealand. It commonly invades disturbed natural vegetation, shady sites and moist habitats (i.e. riparian areas and the edges of wetlands).
Alstroemeria leaves at the base are resupinate, or turn, so what looks like the upper side of a leaf is actually the underside. The plant's red flowers have green tips and they develop into explosive dehiscence seed heads that will spew forth seeds up to 2-3 metres away. In a garden situation to stop seed spread it is important that they are deadheaded.
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
