What Kind of Flower Is This?

Ask The Plant Expert:

Someone gave my wife this plant. Her friend called it a “Mari lilly.” I cannot find any information at all about it. There are always four cone-shaped bright red flowers on each stalk. There are six petals each. There may be several stalks of flowers each season. The leaves grow out of the base only. – Paul

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Paul, looks like you have an Hippeastrum on your hands, AKA Amaryllis.

We have a great article about amaryllis that explains the name:

At one time, hundreds of plants were labeled Amaryllis from both the new and old world. After a closer look, it was understood that they actually are not from the same genus at all. The name Amaryllis now is used to describe plants from the old world, namely Africa. Plants from the new world are labled Hippeastrum. Currently, there are only two species in the true, Amaryllis genus; the most famous of these is Amaryllis belladonna. The horticultural trade has made little efforts to correct the mislabeled Amaryllis to Hippeastrum, and even if they did, it probably would do very little good.

Read more about this beautiful flower in Amaryllis: The Show-Stopping Diva of Houseplants