It looks a lot like Scadoxus katharinae, Blood Lily. Do the little nibs at the end of the spikes turn yellow?
that's it! I believe you've got it identified correctly, toni. I will have to watch it to see if the anthers turn yellow. It just appeared & bloomed last Summer and I moved some from a grassy area into a flower bed. Was interesting to see it likes shade. I've got it in the sun. I Googled it & found this: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/scadoxkath.htm This site says, it wants sun - it seems to be doing well in full-sun in my yard. http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/Scadoxus.htm
Just wondering WTx, :?: does your plant have broad leaves, narrow ones, or no leaves at all while it is blooming? Only, :-? I thought it looked more like my Lycoris radiata - when my Blood Lily blooms, it doesn't have any recognizable flower petals, but perhaps it is just a different variety.
no leaves This has absolutely no foliage at all at this point. I have about 8 of them here & there and none have leaves at this time. I've got multiple bloom stocks coming up on a few of them too. I'll have to pay better attention to see what kind of leaves it has. Frankly, I forgot the things were even here, 'til I saw a bloom stock sticking up out of my vinca minor!
Ah, well, one of the traits of Lycoris is to send up flowers first, then follow with slender, grass-like foliage. Scadoxus has broad foliage which (going strictly by my own plant and stipulating it could be a different cultivar than yours) appears before, during and for several months after flowering. Judging by the date of this pic I took last year, my Lycoris should appear in 2-3 weeks. BTW - they are commonly called "Spider Lilies" around here. I know It's a really AWFUL photo - but you can just make out the lack of foliage.
