Amaryllis belladonna pink flowers which may be up to 10 cm in length, appear in the autumn before the leaves (hysteranthy) which are narrow and strap shaped. "Amaryllis belladonna" is one of the two species in the genus "Amaryllis" as currently circumscribed. "Belladonna" is a Latin epithet meaning beautiful lady. There are many common names around the world, for instance in the Azores, Portugal one name is "Meninas Para Escola" (girls going to school) referring to the flowers blooming when the girls in their pink uniforms are starting the new school year. In South Africa the plants are found growing among rocks.
Atropa belladonna possible explanation for the inclusion of belladonna and opium poppy in flying ointments concerns the known antagonism between tropane alkaloids of belladonna (scopolamine) and opiate alkaloids in the opium poppy, "Papaver somniferum" (to be specific, morphine), which produces a dream-like waking state. This antagonism was known in folk medicine, discussed in traditional medicine formularies. The belladonna herb was also notable for its unpredictable effects from toxicity. Among the ancient folk traditions of the Romanian (Moldavian) / Ukrainian region of Bukovina in the Carpathians is the ritual for a Bukovinian girl to enhance her attractiveness by making an offering to deadly