Nerine

Deciduous or evergreen bulbous herbs. Bulb 20-100 mm in diameter, with a parchment-like covering, producing extensible fibres when torn. Leaves (2-)4-6(-8), usually present at flowering, rarely after, distichous, filiform to lorate, glabrous. Inflorescence (1-)7-20(-75)-flowered, in a +/- hemispherical head, up to 150(-240) mm across; scape slender or robust, solid, slightly or strongly compressed, 120-500(-900) mm long, glabrous or rarely minutely puberulous, abscissing at ground level after fruiting; spathe valves 2, narrowly lanceolate, membranous. Flowers irregular, sometimes weakly so, widely flared, pink, red, or white; pedicels spreading, equalling or rarely somewhat longer than perigone, glabrous or minutely pubescent. Tepals connate basally into a short tube; segments attenuate, recurved; margins undulate, rarely plane. Stamens arising at tepal base, declinate or sometimes central, +/- unequal; filaments filiform, clustered, shortly connate basally, often with short lateral appendages at base; anthers dorsifixed; pollen bisulculate with spinulose exine. Ovary subglobose; ovules up to 4 per locule, unitegmic; style declinate or sometimes central, filiform; stigma obscurely trifid or 3-lobed. Capsule small, subglobose, loculicidal, membranous, readily disintegrating. Seeds fleshy, ovoid, 3-7 mm in diameter, reddish green; testa stomatose; integument and embryo green. x = 11.