''Caliphruria'' is a genus of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

and

bulbous plants Bulb or Bulbs may refer to: Common uses * Bulb, a food-storage structure within some plants ** Ornamental bulb, a kind of perennial plant * Light bulb, an electric lamp Maritime * Bulb keel, a type of keel * Bulbous bow, a part that sticks ou ...

in the Amaryllis family (

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

, subfamily

Amaryllidoideae Amaryllidoideae (Amaryllidaceae ''s.s.'', amaryllids) is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, order Asparagales. The most recent APG classification, APG III, takes a broad view of the Amaryllidaceae, which then ...

.) The four

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

grow in tropical areas of South America, with three

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, but are rare in the wild. This genus is closely related with the genera '' Eucharis'' and ''

Urceolina ''Urceolina'' is a genus of South American plants in the amaryllis family, all native to Peru. It also occurs in other parts of South America. Species *''Urceolina ayacucensis'' Ravenna *''Urceolina cuzcoensis'' Vargas *''Urceolina fulva'' He ...

,'' all of them known colloquially as "Amazon Lilies".

Species

The list of ''Caliphruria'' species, with their complete

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

and authority, is given below.Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew
World Checklist of Monocotyledons: ''Caliphruria''
Accessed May 16, 2009. *†''

Caliphruria hartwegiana ''Caliphruria'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.) The four species grow in tropical areas of South America, with three endemic to Colombia, but are r ...

'' Herb., distributed in northwestern

. *''

Caliphruria korsakoffii ''Caliphruria'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.) The four species grow in tropical areas of South America, with three endemic to Colombia, but are r ...

'' ( Traub)

Meerow Alan W. Meerow is an American botanist, born in New York City in 1952. He specializes in the taxonomy of the family Amaryllidaceae and the horticulture of palms and tropical ornamental plants. He also works on the population genetics and mole ...

, from North Central

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

: ''Eucharis korsakoffii'' Traub.) *''

Caliphruria subedentata ''Caliphruria'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.) The four species grow in tropical areas of South America, with three endemic to Colombia, but are r ...

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

, from northwestern

. *†''

Caliphruria tenera ''Caliphruria'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.) The four species grow in tropical areas of South America, with three endemic to Colombia, but are r ...

'' Baker, from

( Cundinamarca).

Distribution and habitat

The genus is restricted in distribution to the Cordillera Occidental and

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

. The species of ''Caliphruria'' are rain forest

geophytes A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...

adapted to the low light conditions of the forest understory.

Conservation status

Many of the species of the genus are endangered. ''Caliphruria korsakoffii'', from Peru, is very infrequent; ''

'' and ''

'' are

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

by extinction; and ''

'' is listed as extinct.

Uses

''Caliphruria korsakoffii'' and ''C. subedentata'' are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

References

External links

Images of various species of ''Caliphruria'' from Pacific Bulb Society
Amaryllidoideae Amaryllidaceae genera Flora of South America {{Amaryllidaceae-stub