---
title: "Hippeastrum: classification, 119 accepted species, the amaryllis name confusion and growing | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/hippeastrum/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-24
publisher: Floreboard
---

Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 129 · 1790 · Sydenham Edwards, W. Darton · public domain

# Hippeastrum Herb.

hippeastrums (amaryllis) · Amaryllidaceae

- **Accepted name:** Hippeastrum Herb.
- **First published:** Appendix: 31 (1821)
- **Family:** Amaryllidaceae
- **Accepted species:** 119 (including 3 natural hybrids)
- **Native range:** 18 TDWG regions, Central and tropical South America
- **Common names:** hippeastrums (amaryllis)
- **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331211-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/331211-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/278065) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8VY96) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2854235)

## Overview

Hippeastrum belongs to the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae; Kew gives its native range as Central and tropical South America. The RHS notes that hippeastrums are popular Christmas gifts, commonly known as amaryllis. The true Amaryllis is a different genus: WCVP accepts only a handful of species, such as Amaryllis belladonna, all from the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

Flora of the Cayman Islands describes bulbous plants with several flat, entire leaves and large, showy flowers, usually two or more in an umbel at the top of a hollow, leafless scape.

## Classification and naming

Herbert published the name in 1821. Early plates often placed its species in Amaryllis: the plate above is Amaryllis vittata from Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, plate 129 (1790), now Hippeastrum vittatum, which WCVP records as native to southern Brazil, north-eastern Argentina and Bolivia. Flora of the Cayman Islands gives about 75 species; the number WCVP accepts today is in the table below.

| Genus name | Published in |
| --- | --- |
| Aschamia Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 134 (1866) |
| Aulica Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 10 (1838) |
| Callicore Link | Handbuch 1: 193 (1829) |
| Carlotea Arruda ex Koster | Trav. Brazil: 493 (1816) |
| Chonais Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 135 (1866) |
| Eusarcops Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 11 (1838) |
| Lais Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 134 (1866) |
| Leopoldia Herb. | Trans. Hort. Soc. London 4: 181 (1821) |
| Lepidopharynx Rusby | Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 7: 214 (1927) |
| Moldenkea Traub | Pl. Life 7: 41 (1951) |
| Omphalissa Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 134 (1866) |
| Tocantinia Ravenna | Onira 5: 9 (2000) |
| Trisacarpis Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 11 (1838) |

## Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 18 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 42 more.

Argentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorFrench GuianaGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuela

### Introduced

Introduced regions (42)

AngolaAscensionBahamasBelizeCaroline Is.Cayman Is.Chagos ArchipelagoCook Is.CubaDominican RepublicGulf of Guinea Is.HaitiHawaiiHondurasJamaicaLeeward Is.LouisianaMarianasMarshall Is.MauritiusMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNauruNew CaledoniaNicaraguaNiueNorfolk Is.Puerto RicoRodriguesRwandaSeychellesSociety Is.Solomon Is.Sri LankaTexasTrinidad-TobagoTunisiaVenezuelan AntillesWindward Is.Zimbabwe

## Accepted species

WCVP accepts 119 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24.

| Name | On this site |
| --- | --- |
| Hippeastrum abatinguara Campos-Rocha & A.S.Medeiros |   |
| Hippeastrum aglaiae (A.Cast.) Hunz. & A.A.Cocucci |   |
| Hippeastrum amaru (Vargas) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum andreanum Baker |   |
| Hippeastrum angustifolium Pax |   |
| Hippeastrum apertispathum (Traub) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum arboricola (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum argentinum (Pax) Hunz. |   |
| Hippeastrum aulicum (Ker Gawl.) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum aviflorum (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum blossfeldiae (Traub & J.L.Doran) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum brasilianum (Traub & J.L.Doran) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum breviflorum Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum bukasovii (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum caiaponicum (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum calyptratum (Ker Gawl.) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum canastrense Dutilh & R.S.Oliveira |   |
| Hippeastrum canterai Arechav. |   |
| Hippeastrum carassense Campos-Rocha & R.C.Mota |   |
| Hippeastrum cardenasii R.Vásquez & R.Lara |   |
| Hippeastrum caupolicanense (Cárdenas) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum cipoanum (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum condemaitae (Vargas & E.Pérez) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum correiense (Bury) Worsley |   |
| Hippeastrum curitibanum (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum curupira Campos-Rocha & M.Peixoto |   |
| Hippeastrum cuzcoense (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum cybister (Herb.) Benth. ex Baker |   |
| Hippeastrum damazianum Beauverd |   |
| Hippeastrum diniz-cruziae Dutilh & Semir |   |
| Hippeastrum divifrancisci (Cárdenas) R.Lara & R.Vásquez |   |
| Hippeastrum divijulianum (Cárdenas) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum doraniae (Traub) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum dutilhianum (Büneker, R.E.Bastian & C.M.Costa) Christenh. & Byng |   |
| Hippeastrum elegans (Spreng.) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum escoipense Slanis & Huaylla |   |
| Hippeastrum espiritense (Traub) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum euryphyllum (Ravenna) W.A.Medina & Roitman |   |
| Hippeastrum evansiarum (Traub & I.S.Nelson) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum ferreyrae (Traub) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum forgetii Worsley |   |
| Hippeastrum fragrantissimum (Cárdenas) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum fuscum Kraenzl. |   |
| Hippeastrum gertianum (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum glaucescens (Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum goianum (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum × griffinii Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum guarapuavicum (Ravenna) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum harrisonii (Lindl.) Hook.f. |   |
| Hippeastrum haywardii (Traub & Uphof) R.Lara & R.Vásquez |   |
| Hippeastrum hemographes (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum hugoi (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum idimae Dutilh & R.S.Oliveira |   |
| Hippeastrum iguazuanum (Ravenna) T.R.Dudley & M.Williams |   |
| Hippeastrum incachacanum (Cárdenas) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum intiflorum (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum × johnsonii (Gowen) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum kromeri (Worsley) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum laklano Campos-Rocha & M.Peixoto |   |
| Hippeastrum lapacense (Cárdenas) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum lara-ricoi A.L.Moya, D.Villalba & Zent.-Ruíz |   |
| Hippeastrum lavrense (Ravenna) R.S.Oliveira & Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum leonardii (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum leopoldii T.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum leucobasis (Ravenna) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum lunaris Campos-Rocha & Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum macbridei (Vargas) Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum machupijchense (Vargas) D.R.Hunt |   |
| Hippeastrum mandonii Baker |   |
| Hippeastrum maracasum (Traub) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum marumbiense (Ravenna) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum mauroi Campos-Rocha & Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum menesesii R.Vásquez & R.Lara |   |
| Hippeastrum minasgerais (Traub) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum miniatum (Ruiz & Pav.) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum mirum (Ravenna) Christenh. & Byng |   |
| Hippeastrum mollevillquense (Cárdenas) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum monanthum (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum morelianum Lem. |   |
| Hippeastrum multiflorum Büneker, K.Soares & L.C.Assis |   |
| Hippeastrum nelsonii (Cárdenas) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum oconequense (Traub) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum papilio (Ravenna) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum paquichanum (Cárdenas) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum paradisiacum (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum paranaense (Traub) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum pardinum (Hook.f.) Dombrain |   |
| Hippeastrum parodii Hunz. & A.A.Cocucci |   |
| Hippeastrum peruvianum Meerow & Campos-Rocha |   |
| Hippeastrum petiolatum Pax |   |
| Hippeastrum pseudopardinum (Cárdenas) R.Vásquez & R.Lara |   |
| Hippeastrum psittacinum (Ker Gawl.) Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum puniceum (Lam.) Voss | 1 plate |
| Hippeastrum pyrophilum R.E.Bastian |   |
| Hippeastrum ramboi R.E.Bastian & Büneker |   |
| Hippeastrum reginae (L.) Herb. | 1 plate |
| Hippeastrum reticulatum (L'Hér.) Herb. | 1 plate |
| Hippeastrum roseoalbum R.S.Oliveira & Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum rubropictum (Ravenna) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum sanfranciscanum Dutilh & R.S.Oliveira |   |
| Hippeastrum santacatarina (Traub) Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum scopulorum Baker |   |
| Hippeastrum × splendens Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum stapfianum (Kraenzl.) R.S.Oliveira & Dutilh |   |
| Hippeastrum starkiorum (I.S.Nelson & Traub) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum stigmovittatum (Büneker, R.E.Bastian & C.M.Costa) Christenh. & Byng |   |
| Hippeastrum striatum (Lam.) H.E.Moore | 1 plate |
| Hippeastrum stylosum Herb. |   |
| Hippeastrum teyucuarense (Ravenna) Van Scheepen |   |
| Hippeastrum traubii (Moldenke) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum umabisanum (Cárdenas) Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum vanleestenii (Traub) H.E.Moore |   |
| Hippeastrum variegatum Gereau & Brako |   |
| Hippeastrum velloziiflorum Campos-Rocha & Meerow |   |
| Hippeastrum verdianum Büneker & R.E.Bastian |   |
| Hippeastrum viridiflorum Rusby |   |
| Hippeastrum vittatum (L'Hér.) Herb. | 1 plate |
| Hippeastrum wilsoniae L.J.Doran & F.W.Mey. |   |
| Hippeastrum yungacense (Cárdenas & I.S.Nelson) Meerow |   |

## Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bm-129.jpg)Amaryllis vittataCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 129 · 1790, Sydenham Edwards, W. Darton
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-9-305.jpg)Amaryllis equestrisCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 305 · 1795,
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-13-453.jpg)Amaryllis reginaeCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 453 · 1799, Sydenham Edwards
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-mag-657.jpg)Amaryllis reticulataCurtis's Botanical Magazine · 657 · 1803, Sydenham Edwards
- [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/bot-register-38.jpg)Amaryllis crocataEdwards's Botanical Register · 38 · 1815, Sydenham Edwards, Smith

## Growing and safety

The RHS advises that hippeastrum is a tender bulb to be grown in pots indoors. Plant from October to January in pots only a little larger than the bulb, with two-thirds of the bulb above the surface; flowers follow about six to eight weeks after planting, from winter to spring. After flowering, cut the spent spikes to the base but keep the leaves growing.

The ASPCA’s amaryllis entry lists these plants as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, with lycorine and other compounds as the toxic principles; signs include vomiting (not in horses), depression, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors.

## Further reading

- [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/amaryllis/)
- [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/)

## References

- [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-24
- [Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Hippeastrum, with genus description from Flora of the Cayman Islands](https://colplanta.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331211-2/general-information)
- [RHS · Hippeastrum](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/hippeastrum/growing-guide)
- [ASPCA Animal Poison Control · Amaryllis](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/amaryllis)

Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-24); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.