Thank you so much Judy for the wonderful information, it should be added to our wiki. ---------- - http://www.flickr.com/photos/morabeza79/ On 5 July 2010 07:37, Judy Glattstein <jgglatt@gmail.com> wrote: > From my research notes for "Bulbs for Garden Habitats" > > Amancaes > > In 1835, on July 19th Charles Darwin made note in his journal, of fields of > amancaes flowering on the desert coastal hills of Peru: “On the hills near > Lima, at a height but little greater, the ground is carpeted with moss, and > beds of beautiful yellow lilies, called Amancaes. This indicates a very much > greater degree of humidity, than at a corresponding height at Iquique.” > Official emblem of the city of Lima, amancaes used to be found growing wild > on the banks of the Rimac River that flows through the city. Though there is > a district of Lima still known as Pampas of Amancaes, the places where this > flower was once so numerous are now nothing but buildings and city streets. > Club Floralíes de Lima is an organization dedicated to bringing it back. > They have created a preserve called Pachacámac, on land outside of Lima > owned/donated by the Lima Cement Company where this and other native plants > are being reintroduced. > > and > > My brother, an tenured professor of anthropology who did his doctoral > research in a village above Cuzco (and who speaks both Quechua and Amara) > told me of a song, a vals criollo that mentions H. amancaes. The lyrics, > approximately, go like this: > > Elegantly dressed in traditional style, wearing a poncho of white linen, > Jose Antonio is an accomplished horseman, showing fine mastery riding his > horse. > Why, asks the woman, why did he leave her, hoping that when he returns > to see the amancay in bloom he will sweep her up on his horse. > > Judy > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >