''Zephyranthes minuta'' is a plant species very often referred to as ''Zephyranthes grandiflora'', including in Flora of North America. The latter is, however, an illegitimate name because the original author in coining the name ''Zephyranthes grandiflora'' listed the older name ''Amaryllis minuta'' as a synonym. This makes "''minuta''" the acceptable epithet under the ICN. In the UK it is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Description

''Zephyranthes minuta'' is a bulb-forming perennial with shiny green leaves up to 7 mm wide. Flowers in wild specimens are usually pink, funnel-shaped, up to 9 cm long. Cultivated specimens are frequently larger, often with extra tepals.Dietrich, David Nathaniel Friedrich. 1840. Synopsis Plantarum 2: 1176, ''Zephyranthes minuta''
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Distribution

''Zephyranthes minuta'' is native to Mexico and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

but widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in Hawaii, the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, the islands of the Southwestern

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

(belonging to

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 ...

, Nicaragua and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

), and the southeastern United States ( Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Florida).Flora of North America, ''Zephyranthes grandiflora''
/ref>

Chemical composition

The following compounds are found in this plant: Pancratistatin, Zephgrabetaine,

Lycorine Lycorine is a toxic crystalline alkaloid found in various Amaryllidaceae species, such as the cultivated bush lily (''Clivia miniata''), surprise lilies ('' Lycoris''), and daffodils ('' Narcissus''). It may be highly poisonous, or even lethal, wh ...

, Galanthine, Lycoramine,

Hamayne Hamayne is an alkaloid present in plants of the family Amaryllidaceae, including Iberian ''Narcissus'' species and two Nigerian ''Crinum'' species, reported to have acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. The product has been made via total syn ...

, Hamanthamine, Tortuosine, Ungeremin.

Gallery

File:Zephyranthes grandiflora (3) 1200.jpg File:Zephyranthes grandiflora (26) 1200.jpg File:Zephyranthes minuta 01.jpg A bunch of flowers of Zephyranthes minuta.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6171161

minuta This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...

Garden plants Plants described in 1816 Flora of Mexico Flora of Guatemala Flora of Honduras Flora of Nicaragua Flora of Colombia