Vallota : "house lily" or "wildfire lily"

Many enjoy using unique flowers from warm places as indoor plants. These flowers add color and become a focal point in any room. One such plant is vallota, from South Africa's Cape region, and part of the Amaryllis family.

Vallota can live up to 20 years. It blooms regularly throughout its life. The plant has pretty, pointy leaves, like sedge grass. They are bright green with purple at the base.

When it blooms, vallota grows thin, long stems. Several large, trumpet-shaped flowers grow on each stem. Each flower has six petals.

Vallota is also called "house lily" or "wildfire lily." Its flowers look like lilies, but the two plants are not closely related.

Keep vallota away from small kids and pets. The plant is poisonous, so it's best to be careful. Protect your skin and eyes when handling the flower.

People online sometimes mix up vallota, clivia, and cyrtanthus. This is because all three were once called vallota. They were later separated because of root and flower differences.

Botanists now classify Vallota purpurea and Vallota magnifica as Cyrtanthus. Some sites still say Cyrtanthus and Vallota are separate. But really, Cyrtanthus is Vallota.

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