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.
Ornamental bulbous plant it is a root tuber. Annual species complete their life cycle during favourable seasons and pass unfavourable ones as seeds. Bulbous plants, on the other hand, have developed storage organs as a reserve to allow them to survive unfavourable conditions in a resting condition in order to begin growth again when environmental conditions become more favourable. The dormant or resting period may be in summer or winter, or may depend on rainfall, as in the tropics. The different strategies enable bulbous plants to survive adverse conditions such as extremely hot and dry summers, very cold winters, or periods of drought.