Hippeastrum (pronounced /ˌhɪpiˈæstrəm/)[1] is a genus of about 70–75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. These plants are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, a monotypic African genus in the same family. <embed wmode="transparent" src="http://www.zazzle.com/utl/getpanel?zp=117391604457977602" flashvars="feedId=117391604457977602" width="300" height="200" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /><embed wmode="transparent" src="http://www.zazzle.com/utl/getpanel?zp=117963471606284346" flashvars="feedId=117963471606284346" width="300" height="200" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /> “Hippeastrum” is Greek for “horseman’s star” (also known today as “knight’s star”) and was chosen in 1837 by the Honorable Reverend William Herbert, Dean of Manchester. While no one is entirely sure why he picked this name, it’s likely he chose it because of the plant’s striking resemblance to the “morning star,” a mediaeval weapon used by horsemen, as William Herbert was both a clergyman and something of an expert on early mediaeval history,. A version of the weapon was also called a “holy water sprinkler,” an ecclesiastical object with which the Dean would have been familiar. Taken April 2009 with Sony Cybersot. For Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints and Framed Prints check out my portfolio at Redbubble